AHSS Research and Impact Bulletin

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The AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin provides updates on the latest funding opportunities and training events available to researchers interested in applying for a research grant. The Bulletin is sent out to researchers via Chairs of Faculties, Departmental Administrators, and RGAs.  

Archived Bulletins

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

September 2026

 

If you want to discuss funding opportunities or you are working on an application for research funding and would like feedback on a draft, please do contact the School’s Research Facilitators: Anna Cieslik (UK Funding) and Elizabeth Penner (EU/International Funding).  For Impact related queries please contact Lucy Sheerman (Impact Facilitator).

 
UK Research Council Funding


EU/International Funding

 
Charity Funding

 
Internal Funding

 
Training

 

AHRC Curiosity Award

Summary: Curiosity awards support early-stage ambitious and novel fundamental research which has the potential to act as a springboard towards new and exciting research agendas.

The funding opportunity celebrates the full diversity of the arts and humanities. It is flexible, and applications are welcomed from teams, networks, and solo researchers.

The funding opportunity is intentionally flexible. An indicative list of examples of the activities we will fund are provided as follows. You are encouraged to request and justify costs for activities that best meet the aims of your project. This may include:

  • idea generation
  • seed corn funding
  • high risk and high potential concepts
  • novel research
  • networking activity
  • partnership building
  • knowledge exchange
  • public engagement
  • international collaboration
  • scoping and piloting, for example, early-stage proof of concept for ideas or change of direction
  • pivots in research focus at any career stage
  • mentoring for members of the research team

To note, this is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list.

Award: Up to £100,000 full economic cost (FEC) and AHRC will fund 80% of this. Funding is available for projects up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC Catalyst Award

Summary: Catalyst awards support researchers without prior experience of leading a significant research project to accelerate their trajectory as independent researchers, unlocking their potential and building leadership and convenor experience through the delivery of ambitious or complex projects.

The scheme takes a people-centred approach with funding available to support the development of researchers and their research ideas. It is flexible, and applications are welcomed from teams, networks and solo researchers.

Development is at the core of this scheme. Projects must clearly articulate how the funding will contribute to the development of all those involved through the way that the project has been designed and will be managed, with appropriate support structures in place.

Award: Up to £300,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC Standard Grant

Summary: Projects should aim to:

  • enable arts and humanities researchers to establish or enhance effective working relationships with fellow researchers (both within and beyond the arts and humanities, and within and beyond the UK), as well as practitioners, and the wide range of individuals and organisations who may benefit from their research
  • provide opportunities for less experienced researchers to develop their expertise and their careers by working collaboratively with senior researchers on well-defined projects and by leading projects themselves
  • maximise the value of research outcomes by promoting their communication and dissemination with individuals and organisations outside academia and, where appropriate, to facilitate the knowledge transfer of those outcomes to both the research community and other contexts where they will make a difference

We’re looking for researchers with applications for well-defined collaborative research projects. However, you may include elements of individual research if you can show how this will add value.

Collaborations can involve:

  • a single institution or a combination of institutions
  • researchers working in different research areas
  • disciplines within the arts and humanities, or between an arts and humanities discipline and another subject area. In such collaborations the arts and humanities element of the project should lead in shaping the research questions, methods and so on
  • researchers working in other sectors
  • researchers based abroad

The proposed collaboration should be appropriate for the specific needs of the research project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1.5 million. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept

Summary: Your proposed activities should galvanise arts and humanities research previously funded by AHRC or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to deliver meaningful real-world change through significant economic, social, cultural, or policy impact.

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept funding opportunity aims to:

  • facilitate ambitious arts and humanities projects to realise measurable, real-world change
  • provide flexible support for innovative pathways to impact, whether projects are pivoting to new contexts and collaborations, amplifying existing impact activity or at the early stage of developing commercialisation outcomes
  • sustain and maximise excellent models of co-design, co-development and partnership working to deliver tangible outputs that demonstrate the transformational benefits of arts and humanities research
  • encourage and enable a range of pathways to impact between arts and humanities research and a variety of user communities, including business, third sector and heritage sector, public policy, voluntary and community groups, or the general public
  • celebrate and support meaningful arts and humanities contributions to economic growth and government priorities.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £150,000, with AHRC funding 80% of the FEC. Costs associated with project co-lead internationals (PcL (I)) will be funded at 100% FEC but must not exceed 30% of the total FEC of the project. However, this funding cap does not apply to any PcL(I) based in a country on the OECD DAC list (excepting India and China). PcL(I)s from a country on the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) DAC (Development Assistance Committee) list (excepting India and China) are also eligible to claim overheads support.

Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration, offering flexibility to suit the scale of your project.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

ESRC Standard Grant

Summary: This flexible opportunity funds basic, applied and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics within ESRC’s remit. Ambitious and novel proposals addressing new concepts and techniques are encouraged, as are those with the potential for significant scientific or societal and economic impact.

There are no thematic or methodological priorities; we will fund the highest quality proposals received, regardless of focus or approach.

Proposals can draw from the wider sciences, as long as the social sciences are more than 50% of the focus and effort. ESRC will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council. 

Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million. ESRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration, offering flexibility to suit the scale of your project.

Funder Deadline: Scheme closes in Autumn 2026, specific date TBA. The ESRC Standard Grant scheme remains open to applications, with no submission deadlines, until the new Grow and Explore opportunities are opened.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

ESRC Responsive Mode: Working with Luxembourg Researchers

Summary: You can submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the social sciences within the remit of ESRC and FNR.

UK and Luxembourg applicants should ensure that their joint applications are well balanced, with clear roles and objectives attributed to both sides of the collaboration. Within the joint applications, the UK collaborator should be the lead applicant contributing with a slightly higher research effort.

We will fund basic, applied and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics within ESRC’s remit. Ambitious and novel proposals addressing new concepts and techniques are encouraged, as are those with the potential for significant scientific or societal and economic impact. There are no thematic or methodological priorities; we will fund the highest quality proposals received, regardless of focus or approach.

Proposals can draw from the wider sciences, as long as the social sciences are more than 50% of the focus and effort. We will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council.

Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC. FNR will pay all justified costs for Luxembourg submitted through their system. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

ESRC Responsive Mode: Secondary Data Analysis

Summary: This funding opportunity supports research that exploits existing data resources for social and economic research. Applicants have considerable flexibility to focus on any subject area or topic providing that it falls within ESRC’s remit. Proposed research is not required to use ESRC-funded data resources, though this is encouraged.

This funding opportunity also aims to develop the capacity and skills of social sciences communities in using large and complex existing data resources. We encourage partnerships with non-academic stakeholders to ensure generation of high-impact, policy and practitioner-relevant research.

Proposals can draw from the wider sciences, but the social sciences must represent more than 50% of the research focus and effort. We will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council.

Ambitious and novel research proposals addressing new concepts and techniques are encouraged, as are those with the potential for significant scientific or societal and economic impact. Fresh ideas from new researchers are also encouraged, and proposals are welcomed from early career researchers.

Award: The FEC of your project can be up to £300,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC. The duration of this award is up to two years (24 months).

Funder Deadline: Scheme closes in Autumn 2026, specific date TBA. The Secondary Data Analysis scheme remains open to applications, with no submission deadlines, until the new Grow and Explore opportunities are opened.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

ESRC React Awards (pilot): outline

Summary: React awards enable time-critical research to support policymakers and practitioners delivering frontline public services in the UK. Researchers must work with public sector partners to respond to emerging and urgent evidence needs and deliver impactful outputs within six months.

To facilitate this, the pilot will be open to applications on a responsive basis and use a streamlined decision process, allowing proposals to be assessed, funded and start delivering within weeks. Successful projects will be expected to start within a month of funding confirmation.

A central objective of this opportunity is to allow researchers to support urgent policymaker or practitioner evidence needs in the UK. Therefore, applications will be required to include at least one collaborating partner from the UK public sector who needs and is able to action the planned project outputs within six months of them being produced. Partnerships must be confirmed at the time of application, fully aligned in terms of activity objectives, and able to begin the collaboration immediately from the start of an award.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months. Projects must start within one month of funding confirmation. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £100,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 08 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

A guide for the commercialisation of Creative Industries Research

Summary: The University Spin-out Investment Terms (USIT) guides have successfully established best practice for transparent, consistent deal-making between universities, founders and investors, improving efficiency and confidence in the commercialisation ecosystem. These guides have primarily focused on life sciences, deep tech and, more recently, software. They do not fully reflect the distinct characteristics of creative industries ventures. They have also focused on spin-outs as a commercialisation mechanism for those sectors.

Therefore, AHRC, in collaboration with Research England, is seeking a novel and innovative, sector-led approach. To ultimately develop a tailored, CI-specific USIT-style guide to enable commercialisation of Creative Industries research from within the UK’s universities, with awareness to the many ways ventures are formed. This should build upon the existing landscape to create new frameworks and approaches that reflect the realities of the CI sector.

To achieve this, applications must be built on strong, credible partnerships between universities, organisations with proven expertise in translating creative industries research and investors. The lead organisation must demonstrate its ability to convene and lead a sector-wide collaboration and co-develop solutions that are grounded in real-world practice.

The guide should:

  • be co-developed through extensive consultation and active engagement across universities, investors and the wider CI ecosystem
  • reflect the distinct pathways from research to commercialisation pathway for example, spin-out, growth and exit, in the creative industries
  • recognise the difference in intellectual property in CI commercialisation and consider how this is treated by universities and investors
  • provide clear, practical recommendations on key aspects of deal-making, for example, founding equity, licensing approaches, university processes and timelines, and spin-out readiness
  • offer a landing zone and guidance for fair and transparent deals
  • offer a new sector-specific framework that improves clarity, confidence and collaboration across universities, founders, investors and other stakeholders as appropriate
  • draw on and adapt relevant and appropriate international best practice

The partnership should produce a guide that can be widely adopted, practically useful, and transformative in improving the speed, quality and consistency of deal-making for CI ventures.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £250,000. Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) will fund 100% FEC.

Funder Deadline: 15 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: Trust and confidence in policing: R&I Consortium

Summary: The core aims of this consortium are to:

  • develop novel, engaging and dynamic methods which support police and their partners to gain real time feedback on trust and confidence
  • test new and innovative ways of improving trust and confidence in the police

The consortium will bring together academics (including those with research, lived experience or both, within relevant communities), police, community safety and justice leads, policymakers, third sector organisations and community groups, and relevant industry partners, to co-produce innovative, practical and inclusive measures of confidence and trust in policing.

The consortium will engage with police and other organisations to design and implement a series of pilots intended to increase trust and confidence. The impact of these will be tested through the innovative measures.

The consortium must prioritise:

  • understanding and capturing the experiences and perceptions of children under the age of 18
  • victims of violence against women and girls

The consortium should also include other underrepresented groups, prioritised with their local forces, and detail and justify their selection. However, it is expected that the measures will be able to provide a comprehensive and dynamic indication of trust and confidence in policing across the British public more generally as well.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2 million. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. The Consortium must start by 1 February 2027 for a duration of 36 months.

Funder Deadline: 27 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Unlocking advanced capabilities in conservation and heritage science

Summary: Unlocking Advanced Capability is the next phase of the Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) Programme, building on infrastructure establishment (Tranche 1) to target capability enhancement. It supports UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s mission to advance knowledge, improve lives and drive economic growth.

The RICHeS Programme is designed to maximise the research, development and innovation potential of UK conservation and heritage science by delivering a generational step change in the sector’s effectiveness, efficiency and excellence. Specifically, it will:

  • catalyse the development of an informed, collaborative and innovative UK heritage science community
  • ensure that the heritage science sector has the capability and the capacity to meet user demand and deliver world-class scientific excellence
  • ensure that heritage science equipment, expertise, resources and research data are findable and accessible to users, available to external stakeholders, and capable of being leveraged by a range of partners

For this funding opportunity, RICHeS is looking for projects that can:

  • demonstrate they meet the aims above
  • evidence collaboration across a coherent group of relevant partners, including connections with private-sector SMEs to increase knowledge exchange
  • clearly evidence need or unmet demand, and the capacity to respond to future sector and societal needs

We are particularly interested in consortium applications focused on:

  • potential for innovation and spill over into sectors on environmental sustainability, health, or risk management of heritage assets
  • bioarchaeology and genomics
  • embedding and extending of AI and computational methods that drive efficiency and streamline processes

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £1.5 million, with £300,000 allocated to cascading funding. Projects must start 1 April 2027 and may last up to 24 months, ending by 31 March 2029.

Funder Deadline: 25 November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

RICHeS Access Fund

Summary: The RICHeS Access Fund helps researchers, organisations and heritage professionals gain access to cutting-edge equipment, collections and expertise, including mobile units. By covering costs that might otherwise be a barrier, the fund encourages collaborative, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research while showcasing the value and impact of a national heritage science infrastructure. Whether you are an individual researcher, an academic institution or a museum, the Access Fund can help you bring your heritage science projects to life by enabling access to research infrastructure.

The RICHeS Access Fund specifically addresses the challenge of cost, supporting both users and service providers. By facilitating access to the RICHeS-funded distributed infrastructure, the fund also supports the development of expertise and career progression, particularly for Research Technical Professionals (RTPs).

Award: The maximum grant award is up to £20,000.

Funder Deadline: TBC, 30 November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: Experimental medicine to define mechanisms of gambling disorder

Summary: It is increasingly recognised that gambling disorder arises through the interaction of biological, psychological and social processes. Modern gambling products and environments are rapidly evolving and incorporate features designed to maximise engagement by leveraging human reward, learning and attentional processes.

The mechanisms through which these factors interact to shape risk, trajectory and recovery of gambling disorder are poorly understood. Advancing our understanding of the causal mechanisms through which gambling disorder develops and progresses, and how interventions modulate outcomes, is essential to defining risk and developing new treatment and prevention strategies.

This funding opportunity will fund high-quality academically led experimental medicine research projects in humans that generate causal mechanistic insights into gambling disorder. Studies must address a clearly articulated gap in understanding of gambling disorder and include clear measurable, clinical, behavioural, cognitive or neurobiological outcomes to investigate causal biological, cognitive or psychosocial mechanisms.

Applications should move beyond identifying correlates and behavioural endpoints to test causal pathways underlying gambling addiction emergence, progression or response to treatment. Applications are also welcome which help elucidate mechanisms associated with clinical trajectories of gambling disorder including mental health impacts.

Award: The duration of this award is three years. The FEC of your project can be up to £3 million. MRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 14 April 2027

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

2026-27 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

With the publication of the 2026-27 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read. This PDF [here] also outlines specific opportunities for AHSS researchers.

The European Commission adopted the main Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027, a €14 billion investment designed to drive research and innovation (R&I) across the EU's strategic goals. These goals include achieving climate neutrality, boosting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and innovation, and ensuring resilience in a rapidly changing world.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding)

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

You can sign up for our free daily EU grants and funding newsletter (English) by filling out this form. A digest of upcoming funding opportunities will arrive directly to your mailbox. If you would like to access all funding opportunities on our portal, you need to subscribe to the membership.

NEWS: ERC Scientific Council readjusts rules for reapplication

The ERC Scientific Council has listened to the concerns from members of the research community about the recent announcement on changes to the re-submission rules. The changes, intended to manage the surge in demand for ERC grants, pertain to calls for proposals in the 2027 ERC Work Programme. The Scientific Council has decided to readjust some of the announced changes. Read their response to the community.

RESOURCE: Horizon Europe National Contact Points Portal

The network of National Contact Points (NCPs) is the main structure to provide guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe. NCPs are also established in many non-EU and non-associated countries ("third countries").

 

Gulbenkian Institute for Advanced Study

Summary: Established by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 2025, the Gulbenkian Institute for Advanced Study (GIAS) hosts world-class communities of fellows in a congenial intellectual environment, offering three-to-eight-month residencies, with few formal obligations.

The GIAS will host international academics, but will also consider applications from emeriti, independent scholars, and artists. Applications in most non-laboratorial and non-experimental fields will be considered, provided that the proposed work is not primarily practice- or application-oriented.

Award: Fellowships include a monthly stipend, travel expenses, family health insurance, and a partial housing allowance. The final amount of the fellowship will be determined upon consideration of the circumstances of individual fellows. We may help fellows in finding accommodation, as well as schools for accompanying children, when required.

Funder Deadline: 15 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

ERC Consolidator Grant

Summary: The ERC Consolidator Grant is for researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of experience since completion of their PhD. This programme is for PIs who will consolidate their own independent research team or programme. PIs must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition and feasibility of their research proposal.

Award: Up to € 2 million for a period of 5 years. An additional € 1 million can be requested to cover start-up costs, the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities.

Funder Deadline: 12 January 2027

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

ERC Synergy Grant

Summary: The aim of the Synergy Grant is to support a small group (hereafter, the Synergy Grant Group) of two to four innovative and active Principal Investigators jointly addressing ambitious research problems that cannot be tackled by any single Principal Investigator and their team alone. Principal Investigators of any professional seniority, and with a competitive track record matching their career stage can apply. One of the Principal Investigators (except the Corresponding Principal Investigator) of the Synergy Grant Group may be hosted and engaged by an institution outside of the EU or an Associated Country.

Award: Up to a maximum of € 10 million for a period of 6 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). An additional € 4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Funder Deadline: 11 May 2027

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Andrew Carnegie Fellowships 2027

Summary: The Andrew Carnegie Foundation has announced the Andrew Carnegie Fellowships 2027.  The Foundation will award 30 fellowships of up to US$200,000 each to extraordinary scholars, authors, journalists, and public intellectuals. The goal of this fellowship is to help Americans understand how and why society has become so polarized and what can be done to strengthen the forces of cohesion. For 2027, the Foundation is broadening its focus by asking what the US can learn from the interplay of polarization and democracy in other countries that might ensure the sustainability of pluralist democracy. The Foundation welcomes proposals grounded in any field of the humanities or social sciences for solutions-focused, pathbreaking research which may be relevant to polarization and social cohesion in America today.

Eligibility and tax considerations

  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens or have permanent U.S. residency status.

  • Tax: the recipient of a fellowship may choose to accept the award directly, as an individual, or through the institution (or if they are not employed by the same institution as their nominator, through their employer). Nominees should be aware that there may be tax implications associated with the award if it is received by the individual. If the fellowship recipient chooses to accept the award through the affiliated institution, that entity serves as payor and assumes all tax-reporting responsibilities for the fellow’s award. 


    For more information, please see the call page. 

    University Internal selection: 

    Institutions can only submit 2 applications. One application must be from a tenured scholar and one must be from an untenured scholar. A “tenured” scholar is defined by the Foundation as one who received their PhD more than 10 years before the application deadline (before November 13, 2016), and an “untenured” scholar as one who received their PhD 10 years ago or less (after November 13, 2016). Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure. Your Department’s Research Grants Team and/or Departmental Administrator (or equivalent) must be made aware of your internal application, and a support letter signed by the Head of Department is required. 

    To take part in the internal selection, please complete our online form by 22 September 2026 (NB: if asked to log-in, please use your University account and note that a Form cannot be saved and returned to).  

    You will need the following documents and information to complete the Form: 

  • confirmation that you are tenured or untenured (see definitions above)
  • confirmation of whether you will receive the fellowship directly as a personal award or through the University
  • a project summary (max 750 words) that addresses the funder criteria below and describes the proposed research, including a projected work plan and approximate time frame
  • applicant’s brief CV (maximum 3 pages): DORA principles should be considered when presenting research outputs
  • a Head of Department support letter confirming their support for the project and agreement to host the fellow, as well as confirming the eligibility of the nominee (i.e. that they are a U.S. citizen or hold permanent U.S. residency status).


Internal Assessment Criteria:
Please note that the assessment of internal applications will focus on the following core funder criteria:

  • Originality and quality of the idea and promise to offer lessons for the US in addressing harmful polarization or enhancing social cohesion
  • Record of the nominee
  • Plans to communicate findings to a broad audience beyond the scholar’s academic discipline

Award: Up to US$200,000

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026, internal restricted deadline; 13 November 2026, funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk.

 

Nuffield Foundation Racial Diversity UK Fund

Summary: Researchers, academics, charities and other organisations working on racial diversity, inequality and inclusion can now apply for grants for research projects through the Nuffield Foundation’s Racial Diversity UK (RDUK) fund. This year our theme is Inter-generational changes, continuities and challenges in a racially diverse UK. We are interested in the opportunities and challenges of the UK’s racially diverse future, how these change over generations, and how they are shaped by legacies of the UK’s colonial past. 

Background and scope
The UK’s racial composition has changed considerably since the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948, marking the beginning of the post-war settlement of citizens from Britain’s former colonies. Today, the UK’s growing racial diversity and continuing racial disparities bring both opportunities and challenges. 

There is a substantial body of research evidencing racial inequalities in most areas of UK life; from health to housing, education to employment, crime and policing to criminal justice. There is less evidence for why some of the UK’s differential racial outcomes persist while other disparities have closed. Nor is there much evidence about what works to end racial disparities, nor of when, how or if policy and programme interventions are effective in achieving this, and little research has focused on the wider benefits and opportunities that racial diversity can bring. 

This programme is funded by an endowment that supports work relating to the Commonwealth. As such, our interest is in the future of UK society as shaped by its colonial past, specifically by the migration of people from former British colonies to the UK. This migration and the accompanying dynamics of racialisation, resources and power have produced the UK’s distinct racial diversity and its patterns of racial discrimination and inequality. Within this context we take a broad view of racial diversity as covering all racial or ethnic groups living in the UK, including White populations.  

Award: Up to £500,000

Funder Deadline: 05 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Nuffield Foundation Main Grant (Research, Development and Analysis Fund)

Summary: The Main Grants fund (the Research, Development and Analysis Fund) offers support for research that addresses one or more of the priority questions outlined in our Strategic Review. 

A prosperous and fair society

  • How can we build a prosperous and fair society, where people are secure and can fulfil their potential?

An inclusive society

  • How can we build an inclusive society, where people thrive and feel they belong, in the context of changing demography and ways of life?

Science, technology and society

  • How can we ensure that developments in science and technology work for people and society?

Climate change

  • How can policies to address climate change be developed in a way that promotes a prosperous,  fair and inclusive society?

Trustworthy and effective institutions

  • How can we build and maintain the effective, accountable and trustworthy institutions that  our society and democracy need?

Award: Our Main Grants fund (the Research, Development and Analysis Fund) offers up to £500,000. In special cases, and by prior agreement, we accept applications for up to £750,000. Most of the grants we award are below £300,000.

Funder Deadline: 05 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

BA International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2027

Summary: The purpose of each project will be to develop new international research led by and grounded in the humanities and/or social sciences, to further understanding of mobilities. Genuinely productive and integral interdisciplinarity is a requirement, with the expectation that this will involve collaboration across disciplines. The collaboration can include any SHAPE or STEM discipline as long as the research is led by and grounded in the humanities and/or social sciences. Applications that do not meet this requirement will be considered ineligible and will not be taken forward through the assessment process. The Academy particularly encourages applications led from the humanities.

The Academy requires applications to address one or more of the following topic areas. The framing questions related to each topic area are intended to spark thought and provide a framing for the call; they should not be seen as prescriptive. Applicants are reminded that mobilities is understood in this call in terms of movement of people, things and ideas, and of how such movement functions as powerful connectors across areas, domains, societies and borders, and over time.

  • People, Materials and Things: With this call the Academy wishes to support research that understands the movement of people and explores and interrogates the movement of materials. This includes both movement across geographical space as well as movement over time.
  • Ideas, Narratives and Innovation: With this call the Academy wishes to support research that produces new insights for understanding the context in which ideas, stories and technological developments spread, and how change is both driven by such developments and by the contexts and connections in which they happen. This includes both movement across geographical space as well as movement through a society such as the spread of a narrative, political idea or a protest movement through a community.

Award: The total funding available per award in this call is up to £300,000 over 2 years. Within that limit of £300,000 over 2 years the award is offered at 80% FEC (i.e. the total contribution requested from the Academy may not exceed £300,000 and the total project value at 100% FEC may not exceed £375,000).

Funder Deadline: 07 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

BA Talent Development Awards 2026-27

Summary: The aim of the scheme is to enable researchers to build their skills and capacities in core areas to develop their current and future research. This includes core areas like quantitative skills, data science, digital humanities and languages. This scheme promotes the acquisition and advancement of skills in relevant areas, supporting innovative research methods, be that through skills development, collaboration or dissemination.

It is also designed for researchers who wish to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to their work and seek to advance their skills in a new area that may fall outside the traditional bounds of their subject discipline. It provides early career researchers with the opportunity to develop specialist skills to support the foundations of their career. Additionally, the scheme offers mid and senior career researchers the chance to diversify their skills and methodological approaches in response to new avenues of research interest. The scheme encourages researchers to champion their newly acquired skills within their wider community, contributing to the ongoing development of skills for future generations. 

Award: The maximum grant is £10,000. Awards are to enable engagement activities to take place and are not intended as time buy-out for the award-holder. 

Funder Deadline: 07 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Global Innovation Fellowships: The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) 2026-2027

Summary: The objective of the Global Innovation Fellowships is to provide opportunities to UK-based early and mid-career researchers from across the humanities and social sciences to develop their skills, networks and careers in the creative, cultural, public, private and policy sectors to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions. Through the Global Innovation Fellowships, researchers in the SHAPE community will be supported to create new and deeper links beyond academia, so enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, as well as individual skills development. 

The aim is to have a mutually beneficial partnership between the fellowship award holder and DGAP, with each able to take advantage of fresh perspectives and expand their networks and reach. It will enable the award holder to strengthen and create new links across policy and academia, enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, and the opportunity to develop new approaches and solutions to policy challenges through providing a different perspective. The emphasis is on the involvement of the fellowship award holder with DGAP, this is not a traditional research-focused visiting fellowship.

Applications are invited in any of the following areas:

  • Security, Defence, and Resilience in a New Threat Environment
  • Indo-European Relations
  • Technology and AI
  • Strategy-Making in Europe

Successful applicants would be expected to produce policy-relevant analysis for German decision-makers. They do not need an understanding of German politics, but they should be able to offer new approaches to typical foreign policy dilemmas in their chosen field and be ready to engage with policymakers and further stakeholders in Germany.

Award: The Academy is offering up to two one-year fellowships hosted in DGAP's offices in Berlin. These are offered as awards for up to £150,000 for 12 months in duration (with Full Economic Costing at 80 per cent).

Funder Deadline: 14 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Core Research Grants, Russell Sage Foundation

Summary: RSF funds specific investigator-initiated research projects that align with its research priorities and further its mission. We are particularly interested in analyses that make use of newly available data or demonstrate novel uses of existing data, to answer emerging or long-standing questions of interest in the foundation’s program areas and special initiatives. We also support original data collection, including field and survey experiments, in-depth qualitative interviews, and ethnographies.
 
Research Priorities

RSF does not consider submissions that solely make routine use of publicly-available data, such as the Current Population Survey, American Community Survey, Panel Study of Income Dynamics, National Longitudinal survey of Youth, etc. Only novel uses of these data sets, particularly ones that link publicly-available data to new data sets or ones that use the restricted versions of these data will be considered.
 
Award: Between $50,000 and $200,000 USD. Projects are limited to two years in duration.

Funder Deadline: 28 October 2026, Mandatory Letter of Inquiry deadline
 
Research Facilitation Contact: elizabeth.penner@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 10 November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
.
Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 17 November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Research Centre

Summary: The Trust invites applications for Leverhulme Research Centres that will not only conduct research of outstanding originality but also aspire to achieve a significant step-change in scholarship. The Trust aims to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic. Applicants are, therefore, invited to be bold in compiling their bids. The centres should have the capacity to become recognised internationally for excellence in their chosen area. 

The Trust has a reputation for encouraging higher-risk research, which is therefore often fundamental or curiosity-driven – so-called ‘blue skies’ – and multi-disciplinary. The expectation is that centres will draw upon a range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise, perhaps bringing new disciplinary mixes to bear on a particular topic. 

Award: Up to £10 million is available for up 10 years.

Funder Deadline: February 2027. This will be a restricted call.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and the Research Strategy Office.

 

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorships

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area of research, within the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

Award: A minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000. 

Funder Deadline: 01 May 2027

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Impact Starter Fund Call 2025-2026

Summary: The Impact Starter Fund sits within the schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities wider AHSS impact hub, providing a supportive space for researchers to explore early-stage impact and knowledge exchange ideas. As the first step to achieving impact, it helps researchers develop skills, explore approaches, build the collaborations needed for creating real-world impact, and longer-term engagement with partners and collaborators. 
 
At a glance: 

  • Funding available up to £15,000 per project   
  • Rolling call with no deadline  
  • Project duration can be up to 6 months, and all funds must be spent within the project timelines  
  • Activities must demonstrate a link with underpinning research  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider novel and innovative approaches to participatory methods and knowledge exchange  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider ways in which projects might contribute to the broader culture of engagement and collaboration,  develop researchers’ skills, partnerships, participatory methods, and knowledge exchange approaches. 

All AHSS Researchers (post PhD) and UTOs are eligible to apply. 

Award: Between £10,000–£15,000 to support 3–6 month projects.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application.

 

Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund 2026

Summary: The purpose of the Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund is to encourage research, training and engagement activities between Cambridge and Africa. Applicants from Cambridge apply jointly with applicants from universities in Africa and co-create the projects. It is important that the funding is not simply used to provide services that will be carried out at one institution on behalf of the other, and that true collaboration is demonstrated in the application.

An important function of the Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund is to act as a seed fund/catalyst to enable the development of new research activity and further joint funding applications. Priority will be given to applications that build new partnerships (or expand existing ones) with the potential for long-term collaboration. Projects should also ideally strengthen research capacity of the Africa researcher and/or the African research institution/university.

Award: Between £1,000 and £25,000. Particularly note that the ALBORADA Research Fund cannot pay for overheads, PI salaries, administration costs, bench fees or for researchers to attend conferences.

Funder Deadline: 03 September 2026

Contact: alboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk

 

DAAD-University of Cambridge Research Hub for German Studies Call for Workshops, Visiting Scholars and Public Engagement Activities

Summary:

  1. Workshops and seed funding for projects

We are keen to encourage Cambridge-based academics seeking to establish collaborations with colleagues at German universities and research institutions. We are also interested in fostering collaborations that go beyond the bilateral, for example those that link British and German colleagues with networks in North America, Central and Eastern Europe and the Global South. For examples of current workshops, please follow this link to see our website.

  1. Visits to Cambridge by German scholars

To encourage long-term scholarly exchange and collaboration, funds can be applied for to cover the costs of visits to Cambridge by German scholars, for up to two weeks. Note that German visitors may not apply directly to the Hub but must be nominated by a Cambridge academic who will be prepared to act as their academic host. It is desirable that the scholar’s research will contribute to that of the Cambridge counterpart. Proposals will be judged on the value that they add to a group of scholars and graduate students and/or the quality of a future collaborative project/research grant application to be worked on during the visit. Guests should also give a paper/lecture, which will be held in the relevant Department/research seminar but also be advertised openly via the Hub website and social media; the general topic should be included in the application. It is possible to apply for funding for a visiting scholar together with funding for a workshop. Approval for the visit from the Faculty Chair will be needed.

  1. Public engagement activities

The Hub wishes to broaden its target audience and therefore this call includes this category. Past activities were primarily aimed at an academic audience, and the Hub will continue its support for such events, whilst events which specifically address a non-academic audience are now also welcome and will help fulfil the Hub’s aim to reach an audience beyond the immediate university community. This funding strand is for specific public engagement activities, but please note that public engagement activities may also be incorporated into funding strands 1-2 above.
 
Award: Funding for workshops and seed funding for project per year: up to £6000, see the call rates. Funding available for visiting scholars: see the call rates. Funding for public engagement activities, per year: up to £5000, see call rates.

Funder Deadline: 13 September 2026

Contact:  Ingrid.Hobbis@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

DAAD-Cambridge Research Hub for German Studies Call for Long Term Projects Starting 2027

Summary: The primary purpose of these long term projects is:

  • to encourage the sustained development of ideas and academic activities
  • to allow time for an increase in quality and quantity of outputs
  • to strengthen strategic relationships between the University and leading groups / institutions in Germany (including international German funded institutions)

Secondary considerations include:

  • the potential to apply for third-party funding
  • the planning of public engagement activities

The award can be used to cover the cost of the following activities, in any combination:

  • workshops (full costs can be covered for events in Cambridge; costs for Cambridge participants only for events taking place in Germany)
  • visiting scholars to Cambridge (should these be relevant to the work plan)
  • public engagement activities (should these be deemed relevant to the project)

German partner institutions need not contribute funding but their willingness to do so might be of advantage. Inclusion of PhD students and early career scholars is desirable. Any number of non-academic external experts from social, political and cultural institutes may also be included.
 
Award: Up to €8,000 per annum, in the first instance, for the three calendar years 2027-29

Funder Deadline: 13 September 2026

Contact: Ingrid.Hobbis@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

AI-deas Sprint Programme 2026

Summary: The path from a promising research result to a working prototype that can attract partners and funding is hard, and it’s where too many strong AI ideas stall. The AI-deas Sprint Programme exists to close that gap. Over six months, we’ll help you develop your most promising research into a working prototype that demonstrates real-world value, backed by technical support and a route to implementation partners.

We’re looking for ambitious projects that can create working prototypes in these high-impact domains:

🧠  AI for mental health and brain research: Turn diagnostic algorithms into tools clinicians can actually use, or transform research insights into interventions that reach patients.

🌍  AI for climate and nature: Convert environmental monitoring research into decision-support systems that help organisations take climate action now.

👩‍⚕️  Women’s health: Transform research breakthroughs into accessible diagnostic tools or treatment platforms that address the gender health gap.

🏛️  AI for cultural heritage: Turn digitisation and analysis research into public-facing tools that make cultural collections more accessible and engaging.

📚  AI in education and assessment: Convert education research into practical tools that can be tested in real educational settings.

🗣️  Language equity and inclusion: Transform communication research into assistive technologies that support people with language barriers.

🏙️  AI for connected cities: Turn urban research insights into decision-support tools that local authorities can pilot and implement.

🔬  AI for science: Build tools that accelerate the scientific process itself, from autonomous discovery and reproducibility to making research evidence accessible and trustworthy.

✨  Wild card: Have a compelling problem that doesn’t fit neatly into the categories above? We welcome ambitious, problem-first projects in any domain where AI can deliver real societal value.

Award: Up to £25,000 of funding to rapidly transform their innovative project ideas into a prototype in 6 months. Teams will be given access to technical support from machine learning engineers, in addition to follow-on opportunities to engage and develop external partnerships and validate their prototypes with end-user communities.

Funder Deadline: 14 September 2026

Contact: contact@ai.cam.ac.uk

 

West Hub Small Grants Programme

Summary: Do you have an idea that could bring people together, spark new conversations, or create engaging experiences for the University community? Applications for Round 4 of the West Hub Small Grants Programme are now open. The programme is designed to help members of the University of Cambridge access funding to host social and community-focused events at the West Hub.

Funding is available through two streams:

  • Researchers Fund: Open exclusively to Postdocs and Researchers, supporting events that encourage social interaction, networking, and cross-departmental engagement. Talks, discussions, guest speakers, and informal social events are all welcome.
  • Community Fund: Open to the wider University community, supporting a broad range of activities including exhibitions, concerts, sports events, wellbeing initiatives, family activities, and more.

We're looking for creative and inclusive ideas that help strengthen connections across the University community. If you've been thinking about organising an event at the West Hub, this could be the support you need to bring it to life.

Award: Between £1,000 and £2,000. 

Funder Deadline: 15 September 2026

Contact: grants@westcamhub.co.uk

 

INT Emergency Bridge & Underwriting

Summary: This funding call is designed to help provide support for emergent needs and opportunities, specifically targeting short periods of emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers at the University of Cambridge. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.
 
This funding scheme should not be used to tide over researchers repeatedly or provide long term funding. Therefore, priority will be given to first time applications. Priority will also be given to applications that support continuous employment at the University of Cambridge after the bridging period.
 
The named applicant should be a PI or independent researcher. Where an established researcher seeks a contribution to their own salary, the applicant should be the Head of institution.
 
It is expected that:

  • Future funding has been applied for or has been secured at the time of application. A clear plan and timescale should be included in the application
  • Salary costs for Early Career Researchers and Postdoctoral Research Associates are prioritised
  • Retaining the named Research Associate, in need of funding, is important to the project or research group. Awarded funding should also benefit the Research Associate’s personal career development
  • The project can be brought to a satisfactory conclusion if the intended further funding is not secured
  • Normally, applications should not be for retrospective funding

 
Please note that the INT does not reconsider unsuccessful applications for the same project unless there has been a substantial material change in circumstances.
 
Award: Up to £30,000 for projects between 3 and 6 months in duration.

Funder Deadline: 24 September 2026, MT deadline; 21 January 2027, LT deadline 

Research Facilitation Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Keynes Fund Call for Projects

Summary: The focus of the teaching and research supported by the Fund is the sources and consequences of failure of market efficiency, particularly but not exclusively as a result of agency costs. In particular, research into: capital market mispricing; the design of incentive systems and mechanisms to reduce the incidence and significance of institutional or general economic failure as well as into responsive public policies.

The scope of work to be funded shall include interactions between the financial markets and the real economy. The Managers of the Fund encourage research based on empirical observation of the behaviour of market participants, drawing as appropriate on relevant work in the other social sciences, biology and history. They shall also encourage academics to extend the frontiers of traditional economics in order to raise Cambridge's profile in the critical area between economic theory, best private sector practice and public policy, with a bias towards promoting long-term thinking, dampened pro-cyclicality, improved economic growth and reduced income/wealth disparities.

The Keynes Fund provides resources to the Cambridge research community for high-quality projects consistent with these themes. The key features on which projects will be assessed are: quality, impact, the prospect of the work facilitating successful, large external grant applications and positive strong externalities for the Cambridge research environment, especially with regard to the promotion of young talent in the Cambridge Ph.D. programme, or among Post-docs.

Award: The Keynes Fund has two funding options:
 
Standard Grant Applications

  • Applications for funds up to £50,000 are classified as standard grants.
  • Proposals for a standard grant, excluding attached CVs, should be no more than 2000 words.
  • Proposers should suggest a minimum of one internal reviewer and two external qualified reviewers and list their suggested reviewers, and their relationships to them, in the email accompanying their application.

Large Grant Applications

  • Applications for funds in excess of £50,000 are classified as large grants.
  • Proposals for large grants, excluding attached CVs, should be no more than 4000 words.
  • Proposers should suggest a minimum of two internal and three external qualified reviewers and list their suggested reviewers, and their relationships to them, in the email accompanying their application.

Funder Deadline: 25 September 2026

Contact: Marion Reusch, Keynes Fund Administrator, keynes-fund@econ.cam.ac.uk

 

Global Humanities Mobility Scheme

Summary:The Global Humanities Initiative is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and universities in China (Fudan, Nanjing), India (Ashoka), the Middle East (American University of Beirut), Latin America (Universidad Diego Portales, Chile), West Africa (University of Ghana) and Turkey (Sabanci University). It seeks to advance the Humanities as a common enterprise, incorporating traditional and new ways of scholarship and developing novel ways of teaching and researching.
 
One of our main goals is to foster the mobility of staff between our institutions. To that end we have designed a scheme to provide funding for scholarly exchange between Cambridge and the other network partners that leads to joint teaching ventures (primarily but not exclusively at post-graduate level) and builds the basis for new research initiatives which can lead to larger-scale opportunities/collaborations in the future. Applications are normally considered for stays of between two and four weeks. We particularly welcome applications that enable students and researchers to understand and interrogate new ideas and foster a greater plurality of voices in the scholarly community.
 
Activities supported

  1. Joint teaching ventures (from partial team-teaching to fully co-designed and taught courses)
  2. Joint research collaborations

Award: The scheme will cover the costs of travel, visa, accommodation and subsistence pro rata for between two and four weeks. Together with our partner universities we have worked out appropriate packages for each destination. Detailed budgets are therefore not required. Successful applicants will receive full details when they receive their award. Ineligible costs include: Direct costs of conferences, workshops and seminars; Direct costs of research projects; Salaries or other stipends

Funder Deadline: Deadline for next round will be in September 2026

Contact: Globalhumanities@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

CRASSH Connections Events

Summary: Do you want to find colleagues working on a related topic, to plan a collaborative grant application or start building an interdisciplinary network? We know that it can be challenging to identify potential collaborators from different departments, and there is often very little time to organise a grant bid between the opening of a funding call and a submission deadline.
 
CRASSH is offering an opportunity to convene a simple event or meeting at short notice, to respond to an upcoming call for grants (internal or external). Connections complements our existing programmes (Events and Initiatives, Research Networks, Research Labs) and could be a useful opportunity to gauge interest in applying for one of these, or for any other funding call, or simply to scope out a possible collaboration.
 
We are imagining informal events, perhaps in a speed-dating format, taking place over a pizza lunch or accompanied by wine and cheese at the end of a working day.
 
Award: If we have the capacity to take on your meeting/event, we will:

  • book a venue for you
  • book catering if required
  • publicise your meeting/event on our website and via CRASSH’s communication channels, to help you reach as many people as possible.

 
Each event has a maximum budget of £250, which may be spent on catering, venue charges, and/or travel. If you have potential collaborators in other locations, it may be possible to book a venue with hybrid facilities and we can provide access to a Zoom account, but you as convenor would be responsible for managing the tech during the event itself.

Funder Deadline: 18 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: events@crassh.cam.ac.uk

 

CRASSH Events and Initiatives Funding Competition

Summary: CRASSH offers support for a wide range of events, workshops, and creative initiatives. We invite you to apply for funding and logistical support for any activity that will foster the exchange of ideas across disciplines and cultures, forge new collaborations between researchers and other participants, bring academic research to wider publics, or explore the connections between research and artistic practice.
 
Award: Up to £1500 (one-day), £2500 (two-day), £1000 (other initiatives)

Funder Deadline: 18 October 2026
 
Research Facilitation Contact: events@crassh.cam.ac.uk

 

Bioscience Impact and Knowledge Exchange (BIKE) Fund

Summary: This fund is for research impact projects and is available to help strengthen partnerships and accelerate the translation of research outputs into impacts. Proposed projects may pursue commercialisation, changes to policy/practice (beyond academia), impact on health/wellbeing/production etc. Potential impacts may occur on a local, regional, national or international scale.
 
Award: Up to £20,000 per application. Project start date: 04 January 2027 – 22 January 2027. Project duration: up to 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 23 October 2026
 
Research Facilitation Contact: iaa@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Strategic Research Project, Isaac Newton Trust

Summary: If you are considering making an application for a Strategic Research Project, please contact us to arrange a meeting with the Director in the Michaelmas Term to discuss your proposal.
 
Proposals should aim to generate institutional, perhaps interdisciplinary, programmes and projects of strategic value to the University. Research projects should aim to be transformational with a prospect of longevity and financial sustainability. Trustees are interested to see applications which create new forms of collaboration.
 
Applications need to be supported by the Head of the Institution applying, as well as the Chair of School.
 
Award: Up to £600,000 for projects up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Outline: 21 January 2027; Full Stage: 13 May 2027.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

British Academy Early Career Researcher Network for the East of England


[Join the BA ECRN here]

The Early Career Researcher Network is an inclusive, researcher-led membership body accessible to all UK-based early career researchers (ECRs) working in the humanities and social sciences – regardless of their funding source or background.

Objectives of the ECR network

  • Creating an environment where ECRs can strengthen their skills and professional networks to compete effectively in the job market
  • Being responsive to the needs and interests of ECRs, ensuring that these inform our activities and the opportunities we offer
  • Supporting individual ECRs to realise their potential by providing opportunities that they do not currently have access to
  • Contributing to equality of opportunity for ECRs through encouraging diversity and inclusivity
  • Developing networks to nurture and facilitate greater engagement between and across ECRs and the wider research community, regionally and nationally
  • Drawing on the British Academy’s unique ability to convene and nurture intersectoral collaboration to create unique opportunities for ECRs
  • Enabling the British Academy to support a greater number of ECRs in their career ambitions through skills development, networking opportunities, workshops and events

 

Opportunities for the Arts and Humanities research community to engage with Parliament


Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament

Select committees currently accepting written evidence
 
Please click the title of any inquiry listed below to be taken to a summary of that inquiry and the full call for evidence. Remember that you don't have to answer every question posed in each call for evidence.

All other inquiries currently accepting written evidence:

AHRC-funded PhD studentships in collaboration with collections


Collections & Communities in the East of England Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award is co-led by the University of Cambridge Collections and the Collections-Connections-Communities initiative, Colchester + Ipswich Museums, Norfolk Museums Service and Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery. Firstsite, whose expertise in contemporary art, participation and community co-production, will also join as co-lead for the first time, strengthening the programme's commitment to socially engaged research.
The partnership also includes a network of specialist partners drawn from local government, archives, healthcare, community heritage organisations and the cultural sector. Together, these organisations will help shape research priorities, support placements and training opportunities, contribute expertise to governance and project development, and ensure doctoral research is connected to the needs and experiences of communities across the region.
 
The programme will select its first projects, each a collaboration between CC-EE collections and a Higher Education Institution (HEI), in Autumn 2026, for studentships commencing in October 2027. Project should be developed around one or more of the CC-EE themes: belonging, resilience and ecologies.
 
We have 5 studentships to allocate starting in 2027.
 
All studentships will be externally advertised.
 
Key dates

  • Town Hall: 10 September, 2pm (sign up here)
  • EOI deadline: 26 October, 12pm
  • Full application deadline: 16 December

Further information

  • Overview of CC-EE
  • Studentships proposal information, which gives more information on proposing a project
  • Sign up link to the Town Hall that we are running on Thurs 10 September, 2pm giving an overview of CC-EE, along with an opportunity to ask questions.
  • Email cc-ee@fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk - it is strongly recommended that you contact the CC-EE team to have an initial discussion and benefit from support for developing the proposal. The CC-EE team can also provide introductions to colleagues in these collections.

 

The Hidden REF Competition


The Hidden REF Competition celebrates the full range of outputs and people that drive research forward but are routinely overlooked by traditional assessment frameworks like the REF — from data, software, and protocols, to the technical specialists, research managers, and other professionals without whom research simply wouldn't happen. Across 25 categories, anyone associated with a UK research organisation is eligible to submit, regardless of their role or REF history.
 
Why does this matter for us? Imaging is exactly the kind of field where critical contributions — facility staff, custom tools, training resources — go unrecognised in conventional metrics. The Hidden REF is one of the few national mechanisms that actively works to change that, and entries also provide valuable practice for writing non-traditional output (NTO) submissions ahead of REF 2029.
 
Submissions are open now and the deadline is 13 September. Full details, categories, and the submission portal are at: https://hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-competition/

Please do consider submitting, nominating a colleague for the Hidden Role category, or simply sharing the competition with your networks.

 

Call for Discussion Papers: Humanity, Climate & Nature


The British Academy is launching a new international policy programme on Humanity, Climate & Nature, building on the success of its Global (Dis)Order programme. This multi-year initiative aims to generate fresh insights and creative thinking to inform policymakers and practitioners working at the intersection of climate, nature, and human wellbeing.
 
At its outset, the programme will seek to explore how different approaches to synergies, integration, triangulation, nexus thinking, and related concepts have been understood and applied in efforts to address environmental and development challenges together. It will examine both the opportunities and limitations of these approaches, including questions of power, trade-offs, contestation, and justice.
 
The deadline for applications is Wednesday, 16 September 2026, 17:00 (BST).
 
Aims
This call seeks to commission approximately 20 discussion papers to contribute to the initial phase of the Humanity, Climate & Nature programme.
 
The discussion papers will provide crucial evidence-based insight and innovative ways of thinking to inform the programme in its initial phase. Commissioned authors will be invited to join meetings and events convened by the Academy as part of the programme.
 
Objectives of the call
We are interested in papers that explore how synergistic and integrated approaches have been conceptualised, applied, and experienced in addressing environmental and development challenges.
 
The programme is particularly interested in proposals that address questions such as: 

  • What does integrated or synergistic action look like in practice?
  • Why do synergistic approaches often appear attractive in theory but prove difficult to implement?
  • Are implementation challenges the problem, or do current approaches rely on flawed assumptions?
  • When and why did efforts to address multiple challenges together emerge?
  • What is the difference between alignment, integration, and synergy?
  • Is "bringing things together" always beneficial, and under what conditions?

Deliverables
The expected output is a concise, robust, evidence-based, well-referenced and balanced discussion paper that responds to the programme objectives and is accessible to policymakers and practitioners.
 
As a guide: 

  • Papers should be approximately 4,000 words (excluding references).
  • Papers should be based on existing research, knowledge, and analysis.
  • New primary research is not required.
  • Papers should include practical examples, case studies, conclusions, and where appropriate, recommendations or areas for further discussion.

Following review, successful papers will be published by the British Academy, either individually or as part of a series.
  
Author profile
Applications are welcomed from researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and independent experts with relevant expertise and experience.
 
Jointly authored papers are permitted.
 
The programme welcomes diverse perspectives and encourages contributions from individuals working across research, policy, and practice communities.
 
Funding and duration
This is a paid commission.
 
Fee:
£2,500 per paper, to be paid in full following successful review.
 
Key dates: 

  • Application deadline: 16 September 2026
  • Outcome communicated: 7 October 2026
  • First draft due: 7 December 2026
  • Feedback provided: 25 January 2027
  • Final draft due: 1 March 2027

Responding to the call
To apply, applicants must submit:

  • A brief CV (maximum two pages); and
  • A short outline or abstract (1000 words) describing the proposed discussion paper. 

Applications must clearly demonstrate how the proposal addresses the objectives and scope of the call.
 
Contact details
For questions about the call, please contact: humanityclimatenature@thebritishacademy.ac.uk

 

ESRC Virtual Townhall Funding Update


A second virtual townhall will be held 30 September 2026, to provide details on changes to the ESRC responsive mode programme and the new Grow, Explore and Challenge calls. [REGISTER HERE for notification of future events]

Explore Awards: Backs individuals or small teams to advance knowledge with innovation and disruptive ideas. It gives researchers freedom to use the approach that best achieves their aims, whether that means a research project, data initiative or another route to push disciplinary, methodological or conceptual boundaries. Duration is up to 60 months with an award value between £300k-£2m.

Grow Awards: Helps researchers build the skills, experience and confidence to take the next step in their career or move into a new area. It supports early career development and bold career pivots that can open up fresh directions of social science. Duration is 18-60 months with an award value between £100-£500k.

Challenge Awards: Enables collaborations that tackle complex economic, societal or scientific problems that need work at scale. It supports ambitions programmes of research, innovation and infrastructure that bring people, expertise and ideas together to advance knowledge and improve lives. Duration is up to 60 months with an award value between £2m-£10m.

[Link to the ESRC Funding Update]

 

Consultancy 101

04 November 2026, 10.00 to 14.00 (including lunch)
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street
 
Are you considering sharing your expertise through consultancy? Or you’re already consulting but want to find out how to work more effectively, get the best price for your skills or discover how to simplify your administrative work.
 
In this half-day workshop you’ll gain expertise on best practices, tips on making life easier and troubleshoot some of the key issues consultants encounter.

Please note: this event is only open to current staff, academics and researchers of the University of Cambridge. It is not suitable for students or PhD students.

 

Venture Creation 101


04 November 2026, 13.00 to 17.00 (including lunch)
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street
 
Thinking about starting a business venture but not sure where to begin?
 
Venture Creation 101 is an introductory workshop designed to help University of Cambridge staff and postgraduate students explore the first steps in shaping early-stage ideas into viable ventures and navigating the Cambridge support ecosystem.

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin 

August 2025

  

If you want to discuss funding opportunities or you are working on an application for research funding and would like feedback on a draft, please do contact the School’s Research Facilitators – Anna Cieslik (UK Funding) and Elizabeth Penner (EU/International Funding).  For Impact related queries please contact Lucy Sheerman (Impact Facilitator). 

You can find more information on the AHSS Research Website, search our External Funding Deadline Calendar and look at Previous Bulletins.  We are also now on Twitter! Follow us for updates on funding calls and information sessions. 

 

UK Research Council Funding

 

EU / International Funding

 

Charity Council Funding

 

Internal Funding

 

Training

 

 

Rapid evidence reviews for the UKRI Research Programme on Gambling

Summary: Following the introduction of the new statutory levy on gambling operators, UKRI is establishing a bespoke Research Programme on Gambling, funded under the research strand of the levy. As a part of this, UKRI is commissioning a series of RER to help identify evidence gaps within the research and innovation ecosystem relating to gambling harms. The RER will help to inform research prioritisation and policy development. Within the field of gambling harms, it is recognised that there are several key areas in which the evidence base needs to be strengthened and the diversity of disciplines involved in gambling research can also be expanded to include interdisciplinary and multi.

RER will support a step change in the high quality, independent research available on gambling harms and will help identify evidence gaps within the research and innovation ecosystem relating to gambling harms. Once published, the RER will form an integral part of the early stages of UKRI’s Research Programme on Gambling, including the Gambling Harms Research Coordination Centre.

Gambling harms research and innovation partnerships (GHRIPs) will be expected to incorporate the outputs from relevant RER into their phase two workplans.

Award: The full economic cost of a RER can be up to £50,000. UKRI will fund 100% of the full economic cost. UKRI will fund up to 30 RER for six months.

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

UKRI Gambling Harms Research Coordination Centre (GHRCC)

Summary: The UK government’s new Gambling Levy offers an innovative and exciting opportunity to fund interdisciplinary, relevant, and wide-ranging research to stimulate interest, capacity, and investment in the gambling research field.

The Centre will coordinate and maximise the impact of a range of activities commissioned by UKRI under the new gambling levy, including the GHRIPs, ensuring an integrated approach throughout. It will also be expected to lead, plan, deliver, and manage a multidisciplinary programme of research and devolved funding to identify gaps in the current evidence base, increase diversity, and expand the disciplinary reach of the gambling field.

The Centre will bring together expertise from academic, industry, policy communities, and people with lived experience, working closely with cross-UKRI convened expert advice.

Award: The full economic cost of your project can be up to £10 million. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost.

Funder Deadline: 16 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Gambling harms research and innovation partnerships

Summary: The programme will fund a network of Gambling Harms Research and Innovation Partnerships (GHRIPs) to address critical gaps in the evidence base and support the development of innovative, stakeholder-informed responses to gambling-related harms.

These partnerships will act as thematic spokes within a wider research ecosystem, working collaboratively with a central coordination hub to generate actionable insights, build research capacity, and inform policy and practice across the UK.

GHRIPs will connect relevant stakeholders and research partners, providing research, evidence, data and expertise to tackle gambling harms in their various forms.

Applications should focus on creating a single GHRIP in a defined thematic area, from the list below:

  • intersectionality
  • structural drivers
  • direct/lived experience
  • digital gambling ecosystems
  • preventive, protective and recovery factors
  • co-occurring issues

Phases
To support the delivery of these objectives and ensure the strongest applications are funded, the GHRIPs will be commissioned through a two-phased competitive process.

The phase one funding opportunity offers initial seed-corn funding so that applicants may dedicate time to developing partnerships. The funding is intended to resource the development of high-quality proposals to the phase two funding opportunity, by ensuring that partnership building is resourced, reflecting the essential role of partners in the public, third and private sectors.

During phase two, each successful GHRIP will deliver a co-designed programme of activity that reflects the funding opportunity aims and objectives. For a detailed overview, see ‘phase one activity’ and ‘phase two activity’ below.

Phase one activity
The purpose of phase one is to provide resource and support capacity across stakeholders to undertake partnership development and landscape evidence analysis required to design the phase two work programme.

You will be expected to deliver the following activities and outputs during phase one:

  • building, strengthening or diversifying partnerships between research organisations or research teams and relevant stakeholders
  • dialogue and co-creation with stakeholders and lived experience participants to further understand needs and surface opportunities for collaboration
  • design and deliver workshops
  • mapping of relevant data
  • landscape and evidence analysis to build the evidence base for the phase two application
  • embed co-creation practices and evaluation mechanisms into public and community engagement activities to ensure they are inclusive, impactful, and responsive to stakeholder needs.
  • establish an appropriate model for phase two

Phase two activity
The purpose of phase two is to select the strongest partnerships with potential to deliver insights and solutions tailored to the most pressing issues caused by gambling harm.

Phase two GHRIP awards will be applying for up to £5 million (100% FEC) per project, with funding available for a duration of up to four years. Projects will be expected to commence in October 2026, following a separate competitive assessment process.

Award: The full economic cost of your phase one project can be up to £100,000. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost. UKRI will fund up to 20 phase one awards for nine months. All applicants successful at phase one will be invited to submit an application for phase two.

Phase two applications will be subject to a separate assessment process. We anticipate awarding a minimum of six grants of a value of £5 million at 100% full economic cost per award, with a duration of 48 months.

Awards at phase one and phase two will be made at 80% full economic cost, and the research organisation must agree to find the balance of full economic cost from other resources.

Funder Deadline: 16 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Smart Data Research UK Fellowships

Summary: Apply for a fellowship to undertake innovative, impact-focused research using smart data. Projects should address a significant real-world challenge which is relevant to the UK.

Projects must be clearly aligned to at least one of Smart Data Research UK’s four thematic pillars:

  • Productivity and prosperity for all
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Digital society
  • Sustainability

Smart data is produced through our daily interactions with the digital world, such as when we purchase products or services, use social media, or get directions. It is collected when we use mobile phones, wearable health devices, store loyalty cards and smart technology.

We are looking for fellowship proposals that meet the following objectives.

1. Objective one: advance impactful and innovative research

  • Conduct original, high-impact research that demonstrates how smart data can address a significant real-world challenge.

2. Objective two: develop research leadership

  • Use the Fellowship to grow as a leader in smart data research – developing new skills, networks and areas of expertise.

3. Objective three: strengthen the smart data research community

  • Play an active role in building a connected, collaborative community. Fellows will take part in activities that support collaboration, knowledge sharing, and long-term impact.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £200,000. Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) will fund 80% of the FEC. Projects may run for up to 18 months and must start on 01 February 2026.

Funder Deadline: 23 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Cultural heritage and climate change networks to drive policy change

Summary: This funding opportunity will fund new networks comprised of UK institutions working with European partners, in-country partners in Official Development Assistance (ODA) countries, community practitioners, researchers, and policymakers for twelve months, to explore opportunities for widening cultural heritage and climate change engagement and policy across both the UK and international communities. We welcome applications that:

  • work with local communities to co-create solutions
  • connect the stories, turning local narratives into global relevance
  • work across disciplines and intergenerationally
  • ground a project in a place to extract learnings that are transferable to other cases or policy frameworks

Award: The duration of this award is 12 months. Projects must start by 1 February 2026. The FEC of your project can be up to £60,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 14 October 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Turing AI Pioneer Interdisciplinary Fellowships: outline applications

Summary: This opportunity is for established researchers from across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) remit, without a background in core artificial intelligence (AI) research, who want to build domain relevant AI capability and develop advanced AI approaches to tackle a specific research challenge in their chosen field.

The objectives of this opportunity are:

  • to enable leading researchers from a diverse range of backgrounds outside of core AI research to build domain relevant AI capability and knowledge, and tackle a specific research challenge
  • to drive transformative change and accelerate the adoption and utilisation of AI across multiple domains, the research base and wider economy, though community leadership
  • to enable engagement and collaboration within or between academic and non-academic partners to deliver AI-enabled challenge-driven research
  • to support the career development of leading researchers, contributing to a diverse research community with increased AI skills and knowledge

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2,187,500. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. The funding is subject to final budget approvals. Projects can be up to three years in duration and must start on 1 October 2026.

Funder Deadline: 14 October 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: DARE UK Real-world Research Exemplar Programme - UKRI

Summary: We invite research teams from across UKRI research councils remit to partner with TREs of appropriate maturity to deliver real-world research utilising new capabilities introduced through the DARE UK programme, these are:

  • data federation, enabling a researcher to be able to log in to one TRE and work transparently with approved data held in other remote TREs
  • analytics federation, enabling a researcher to be able log in to one TRE and send computational jobs to run in other remote TREs against approved data
  • semi-automation of output disclosure checks, including from complex artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) algorithms

The real-world research programmes will serve both as testcases, helping to harden federation capabilities towards production-level maturity, and as showcases, proving the utility of the technology in addressing challenging real-world research questions.

**This is a pre-announcement, and the information may change. The funding opportunity will open on 08 September 2025. More information will be available on this page then.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be from £365,700 up to £609,500. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will fund 80% of the FEC. The duration of this award is a maximum of 12 months.

Funder Deadline: 05 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Collaborative doctoral landscape award in the arts and humanities

Summary: UK non-higher education institutions (non-HEI), individual organisations or consortia, can apply to become arts and humanities collaborative doctoral landscape award grant holders to support and provide high-quality doctoral training.

AHRC will support up to 50 doctoral studentships per year, for four years through this scheme. You can apply for a minimum of three students per year (two in exceptional circumstances). Doctoral projects must align with the organisation’s priorities and are undertaken with a university partner.

The first cohort of students will start in October 2027.

Non-HEIs can be any type of organisation in the UK that has the research capacity to host doctoral students. This would include a wide range of creative and cultural organisations contributing to arts and humanities research, for example:

  • galleries
  • libraries
  • museums and archives
  • the creative industries
  • public and third sector organisations

The application must be from a non-HEI organisation either:

  • as an individual organisation
  • as a consortia of non-HEI organisations
  • with a university partner, in specific circumstances

Non-HEIs do not need to have held awards under the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) scheme to be eligible to apply or have independent research organisation status. However, you must be able to demonstrate that you have the capacity to manage at least three studentships per year.

Non-HEIs, which do not have capacity to host three students per year, may wish to submit a joint application as a consortium. If successful, the consortium would be the collaborative doctoral landscape award grant holder.

Award: Between three and fifty studentships

Funder Deadline: 20 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update

Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023 (and previous years)
Successful UK applicants to calls under the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023 (and previous years) will be funded under the UKRI Guarantee Funding. This Guarantee Funding has recently been extended to cover successful applications made by UK-based businesses and researchers to calls under the Horizon Europe 2021, 2022 or 2023 work programmes. 
 
Horizon Europe 2024 Work Programme Calls
Successful UK applicants will be funded by the EU, under the Horizon Europe Programme.
Updates on Association: Please visit the Research Operation Office’s EU pages. 

 

2025 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

Follow this link to view these opportunities.

With the publication of the 2025 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Highlighted in this document are key funding schemes that are currently open that have a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research. The list is not exhaustive, so if there is a call you do not see here, please do read through the full call documentation.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding)

 

Africa Initiative III

Summary: Africa Initiative III is a component of Horizon Europe’s international cooperation dimension, aiming to accelerate the translation of scientific knowledge into action around shared global challenges in Africa and Europe. The calls are now open and fall under four thematic pillars:

  • Public Health (€50 million)
  • Green Transition (€241 million)
  • Innovation & Technology (€186.5 million)
  • Capacities for Science (€3.5 million)
  • Cross-cutting issues (€19.5 million)

These calls are designed to involve African institutions and researchers, ensuring meaningful participation in consortia tackling shared challenges in areas such as climate change adaptation, clean energy, sustainable agriculture, digital innovation, science for policy, and equitable access to health.
 

Calls involved in the Africa Initiative III

Cluster 1

Cluster 2

Cluster 3

Cluster 4

Cluster 5

Cluster 6

Missions

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

European Heritage Awards

Summary:The European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards aim to identify, recognise and champion best practices in the protection and conservation of cultural heritage as well as innovative developments and knowledge in the care and promotion of tangible, intangible and digital cultural heritage. Through the power of example, the scheme enables the exchange and transfer of experiences and skills across borders and between communities in Europe and beyond. It increases the visibility and understanding of the multiple values of cultural heritage for Europe’s society, economy, environment and culture .

The Awards celebrate excellence in the protection, conservation, research, education, and promotion of cultural heritage across Europe, covering a wide range of categories and project types – from tangible to intangible heritage.

Applications can be submitted in one of the following five categories:

1.    Conservation & Adaptive Reuse;
2.    Research; 
3.    Education, Training & Skills;
4.    Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising; and
5.    Heritage Champions.

Award: €10,000

Funder Deadline: 09 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: For further inquiries, please contact Camilla Scopigni, Programme Assistant at cs@europanostra.org 

 

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships

Summary: The objective of PFs is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

  1. European Postdoctoral Fellowships. They are open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.
  2. Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. They fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

Both types of fellowships may also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except during the return phase of a Global Fellowship).

In an effort to build bridges between the academic and non-academic sector, researchers can receive additional support to carry out a placement of up to 6 months in a non-academic organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement needs to take place at the end of their fellowship.

Award: The Fellowship provides support in the form of a living allowance; mobility allowance; family and long-term leave and special needs allowances; research, training and networking activities; management and indirect costs.

Funder Deadline: 10 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

ERC Proof of Concept

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

Proof of Concept Grants aim at maximising the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.

Award: A lump sum of € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.

Funder Deadline: 18 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

MSCA Staff Exchange Call

Summary: The Staff Exchanges action offers a unique opportunity to promote the transfer of knowledge and innovation through international research collaborations.

Who can apply?
To be eligible, consortia must consist of at least three organisations from three different countries. Two of them must be located in different EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries. In addition, organisations from any country in the world can participate.

Organisations from all socioeconomic sectors in any country can apply to Staff Exchanges.

Staff secondments
Secondments are the main method to foster cooperation among organisations participating in Staff Exchanges. Selected projects exchange and train researchers and innovators, as well as administrative, technical or managerial staff involved in research activities.

Participants go abroad for up to 12 months. By working in other organisations they gain new skills and competencies, expand their networks, exchange knowledge, and carry out cutting-edge research.

Award: A top-up allowance (for travel, accommodation, subsistence costs), which is on top of the salary paid by their organisation; a special needs allowance, if applicable. In addition, funding is provided for research, training and networking activities, management and indirect costs.

Funder Deadline: 08 October 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

ERC Starting Grant

Summary: The ERC Starting Grants are designed to support excellent Principal Investigators at the career stage at which they are starting their own independent research team or programme. Principal Investigators must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of their research proposal.

Researchers of any nationality with 2-7 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal can apply.

Award: Up to € 1.5 million for a period of 5 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). An additional € 1 million can be made available to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Deadline: 14 October 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

ERC Synergy Grant

Summary: The aim is to provide support for a small group of two to four Principal Investigators to jointly address ambitious research problems that could not be addressed by the individual Principal Investigators and their teams working alone. Synergy projects should enable substantial advances at the frontiers of knowledge, stemming, for example, from the cross-fertilization of scientific fields, from new productive lines of enquiry, or new methods and techniques, including unconventional approaches and investigations at the interface between established disciplines. The transformative research funded by Synergy Grants should have the potential of becoming a benchmark on a global scale.

Award: A maximum of € 10 million for a period of 6 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). An additional € 4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover eligible 'start-up' costs for Principal Investigators moving to the EU or an Associated Country from elsewhere as a consequence of receiving an ERC grant and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities.

Deadline: 05 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

APEX Awards

Summary: In partnership with the British Academy, the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering ("the Academies") and supported generously by the Leverhulme Trust, the APEX Awards (Academies Partnership in Supporting Excellence in Cross-disciplinary research) offer established independent researchers, with a strong track record in their respective area and proven ability to lead collaborative work , an exciting opportunity to pursue genuine interdisciplinary and curiosity-driven research to benefit wider society. Successful applicants will be expected to work in collaboration with relevant researchers from other disciplines.

The objectives of this scheme are to:

  • promote collaboration across disciplines, with a particular emphasis on the boundary between science, engineering, and the social sciences and humanities
  • support outstanding interdisciplinary research which is unlikely to be supported through conventional funding programmes
  • support researchers with an outstanding track record in developing their research in a new direction through collaboration with partners from other disciplines
  • enable outstanding researchers to focus on advancing their innovative research through seed funding

Award: Awards are expected to commence between 1 October and 31 December 2025 and can be held for up to 24 months. Support is up to £200,000 to fund staff costs for the lead applicant and the co-applicant, and associated research costs representing no more than 25 per cent of the total award value. These can include consumables, equipment, and collaborative travel. ‘Staff Costs’ can now include funds to support research assistants, undergraduate/Master’s students and PhD students in addition to teaching replacement.

Successful applicants will also have the opportunity to separately apply for up to £10,000 to create and lead public engagement projects linked to their APEX Award.

Funder Deadline: 09 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

International Writing Workshops 2025

Summary: The intention of the Writing Workshops is to support early career researchers in developing countries, working to stimulate professional networks, develop research partnerships, encourage skills development, provide advice on career development, and promote the uptake of research emanating from developing countries.

Through the Writing Workshops programme, the British Academy aims to encourage and support early career researchers in developing countries to publish in high impact journals in the fields of the humanities and social sciences, and enable them to develop connections with academics and journal editors based nationally and internationally. The writing workshops are in affect making a career intervention, instilling and aiming to change long term academic culture, and engaging with the wider ecosystem researchers inhabit.

These workshops are required to take place in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries.

Award: Awards are set at a maximum of £30,000. Funding must be used in the direct delivery of the workshops, and can cover travel and related expenses, subsistence costs, clerical assistance and consumables, childcare support (including for participants), networking, meeting and/or conference costs.

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2026

Summary: The purpose of each project will be to develop new international research led by and grounded in the humanities and/or social sciences, to further understanding of transnational and planetary challenges. The collaboration can include any SHAPE or STEM discipline as long as the research is led by and grounded in the humanities and/or social sciences. 

The Academy will only accept applications that focus on one or more of the following four transnational and planetary challenge domains. Applications should engage with both the important technical and/or scientific components of each domain, and also with those aspects which make the challenge difficult for a single sovereign states to manage individually. To do so, applications must address how non-state actors and transnational organisations might contribute to the selected challenge.

  • Earth system governance, including problems related to climate change, biodiversity loss, oceanic degradation, and other forms of environmental pollution
  • Digital and other transformative technologies, including the challenges presented by artificial intelligence (AI), cyber, synthetic biology, nanotech, and other breakthroughs
  • Global health, particularly the rising threat posed by pandemic disease and the linkages among human, animal, and environmental health (“One Health”)
  • Outer space governance, encompassing the dilemmas posed by accumulating orbital debris, space traffic congestion, property and sovereignty claims, and arms racing.

Award: The total funding available per award in this call is up to £300,000 over 2 years. Within that limit of £300,000 over 2 years the award is offered at 80% FEC (i.e. the total contribution requested from the Academy may not exceed £300,000 and the total project value at 100% FEC may not exceed £375,000).

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

NIHR Research Professorships and Global Health Research Professorships (Restricted Calls)

Summary: It is expected that NIHR will issue a call for the Research Professorships, Round 16 (RP) and Global Health Research Professorships, Round 9 (GHRP) in September. Both schemes are aimed at health, public health and adult social care researchers, and methodologists with an outstanding research record of clinical and applied health, and/or care research and its effective translation for improved health and care. For both schemes, the priority is on promoting effective translation of research into practice. For the Global Health Research Professorships, the focus is on translation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Each award will consist of a five-year package of maximum £2M (on average between £1.7 and 1.8M) to support a professorship, including support posts, research running costs, a travel fund and a leadership and development programme which includes access to the NIHR Leadership Programme.

For both schemes: Candidates will need to demonstrate a steep career trajectory over the last 5-10 years and will have spent no more than five years at their current level of seniority at the time of application. Candidates should not already be established leaders in their field but be on an upward trajectory to become leaders after the period of award. Nominees should be working in the fields of experimental medicine, public health, health services research, social care research or methodological research. They should have a demonstrable record in effective translation of research into improved health, public health or adult social care. Applications involving basic research or work involving animals or their tissue will be deemed ineligible.  

For RP only: Nominations are only eligible where the Higher Education Institution (HEI) is working in partnership with NHS (or vice versa), or organisations/commissioners/providers of public health and/or care services, based in England. 

For GHRP only: UK-based nominees must have partner organisation(s) in LMIC(s) on the OECD DAC list of Official Development Assistance (ODA) countries.  Research should be ODA-compliant, and the proposal should plan to strengthen these collaborations and support training and capacity development.    
 
For more information about the scheme, including detailed requirements and eligibility, please see the general call pages and the previous round’s guidance pages Round 15 Guidance for the Research Professorships  and  Round 8 Guidance for the Global Health Research Professorships.

Key expectations for both schemes: 

Salary recycling:
The basic salary of the Research Professor is funded by NIHR. Host institutions are required to recycle the salary costs released from the Professor’s previous role. This means the institution must reinvest those funds to build research capacity—such as hiring new academic or research staff, supporting early career researchers, or enhancing research infrastructure. This plan must be clearly documented and is assessed as part of the application.

Institutional support and future employment:
Institutions must demonstrate a strong and sustained commitment to the nominee. This includes ensuring that the individual has access to appropriate administrative and research support and guaranteeing the availability of necessary infrastructure and facilities. In addition, institutions are expected to support the nominee’s leadership development, including their participation in the NIHR Leadership Programme. 

For RP only:
Institutions must commit to supporting the individual beyond the lifetime of the award. This includes a long-term employment plan and sustaining the individual’s role and research leadership after the NIHR funding ends. The award is intended to strengthen institutional research leadership capacity, so there should be a clear plan for the nominee’s long-term integration into the institution’s strategic research direction 

University Internal selection for both calls:   

NIHR restricts the number of nominations Higher Education Institutions (HEI) can put forward to these funding calls. The limit of the number of applications per HEI in each round applies regardless of whether the HEI will be the lead employing organisation or the partner organisation:

  • For the Research Professorship, NIHR allow a maximum of 3 nominations provided that at least one applicant is from an ethnic minority group. This is in addition to the requirement that at least 1 applicant is female if more than 1 nomination is made. If the University puts forward 2 nominees, at least one applicant must be female. 
  • For the Global Health Research Professorship, NIHR allow a maximum of 2 nominations. If the University puts forward 2 nominees, at least one applicant must be female.  


Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure.  

Schools have been asked to each provide a ranked lists of individuals they recommend are supported to apply to this round of funding. Departments should therefore await communication from their School office to understand the selection/ranking process and timetable. Please note that applicants that haven’t been through the School ranking stage of the internal selection process will not be accepted or included in the University of Cambridge submission for this funding call.

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2025 (restricted call internal deadline). Anticipated funder deadline: 10th December 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk.

 

Dan David Prize

Summary: The Dan David Prize is the world’s largest history prize, annually awarding prizes to early and midcareer scholars and practitioners in the historical disciplines, to acknowledge their outstanding achievements and support future work.

Nominees can come from any field related to the study of the human past, both within academia and outside it.

We are looking for researchers in disciplines such as history, archaeology, art history, digital humanities and human palaeontology, as well as independent scholars, public historians, museum curators and documentary filmmakers.

Anyone can nominate | Self-nominations will not be considered | Renominations from previous years are encouraged

The Dan David Prize board will determine the winners based on a shortlist of finalists compiled by a dedicated international selection committee.

Award: $300,000

Funder Deadline: 24 September 2025

Research Facilitator Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

BA Global Innovation Fellowships: The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) 2025-26

Summary: The objective of the Global Innovation Fellowships is to provide opportunities to UK-based early- and mid-career researchers from across the humanities and social sciences to develop their skills, networks and careers in the creative and cultural, public, private and policy sectors to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions. Through the Global Innovation Fellowships, researchers in the SHAPE community will be supported to create new and deeper links beyond academia, so enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, as well as individual skills development.

Applications are invited in any of the following areas:

•    Security, Defence, and Resilience
•    Europe as an International Actor
•    Strategy-Making in a Geopolitical World

Successful applicants would be expected to produce policy-relevant analysis for German decision-makers. They do not need an understanding of German politics, but they should be able to offer new approaches to typical foreign policy dilemmas in their chosen field and be ready to engage with policymakers and further stakeholders in Germany.

Award: Global Innovation Fellowships are expected to commence by September 2026. An earlier start date of March or April 2026 may be possible, in this case the applicant will need to explain how they will plan and manage their relocation on this faster timeline. The Academy is offering up to two one-year fellowships hosted in DGAP's offices in Berlin. These are offered as awards for up to £150,000 for 12 months in duration (with Full Economic Costing at 80%).

Funder Deadline: 24 September 2025

Research Facilitator Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

BA Global Innovation Fellowships: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Summary: The objective of the Global Innovation Fellowships is to provide opportunities to UK-based early- and mid-career researchers from across the humanities and social sciences to develop their skills, networks and careers in the creative and cultural, public, private and policy sectors to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions. Through the Global Innovation Fellowships, researchers in the SHAPE community will be supported to create new and deeper links beyond academia, so enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, as well as individual skills development.

Applications are invited in any of the following five areas:

•    Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics.
•    Global Order and Institutions.
•    South and East Asia.
•    Middle East and North Africa.
•    Security and Defence.

There are no preconceived ideas about the disciplinary background of the award holder, but the applicant will need to demonstrate a solid understanding of the relevant issues, including the applicable policy landscape and the systemic challenges that it faces. Language skills where relevant are desirable but not essential.

Award: The Academy is offering up to two one-year fellowships hosted in Carnegie’s offices in Washington DC, Singapore or Beirut. These are offered as awards for up to £150,000 for 12 months in duration (with Full Economic Costing at 80%).

Funder Deadline: 24 September 2025

Research Facilitator Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 30 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Innovation Fellowships Scheme 2025 - Route B: Policy Led (FCDO)

Summary: The Innovation Fellowships scheme will provide funding and support for established early-career and mid-career researchers in the humanities and social sciences to partner with organisations and business in the creative, cultural, public, private and policy sectors, to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions. Through the Innovation Fellowships, our researchers in the SHAPE community will be supported to create new and deeper links beyond academia, so enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, as well as individual skills development.

The Innovation Fellowships scheme has two routes: Route A: Researcher-led and Route B: Policy-led. This call is for Route B with the Academy, working with the FCDO.

Please note the final fellowship would be hosted by the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office.

The FCDO has specialised research requirements, operating in a context where timely access to high-quality evidence-based analysis can mean the difference between success and failure. Exerting influence, negotiating and leveraging others’ power at precisely the right moment is at a premium. This can make it difficult for researchers operating outside the FCDO to have a significant impact. These Fellowships will provide an opportunity to change that by enabling close interaction with FCDO policymakers directly in the heart of this government department’s work.

The Academy and the FCDO invite applications for Fellowships in any of the following areas:

  • Western Balkans
  • Serious Organised Crime and Migration
  • Humanitarian Crises
  • UK National Security Strategy

Award: The Academy is able to offer awards of up to £120,000 for 12 months in duration (with Full Economic Costing at 80 per cent).

Funder Deadline: 01 October 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.
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Award: Applications are invited for a minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000. A Visiting Professorship must last at least 3 months. Grants between 3 and 6 months must be completed in one visit. Grants between 6 and 12 months can be spread over two or more visits, with 12 months being the maximum duration for a visit.

Funder Deadline: 02 October 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Nuffield Foundation Racial Diversity UK Fund

Summary: Our Racial Diversity UK fund (RDUK) supports research on racial diversity within the UK. This programme is funded by an endowment that supports work relating to the Commonwealth. As such, our interest is in the future of UK society as shaped by its colonial past, specifically by the migration of people from former British colonies to the UK. This migration and the accompanying dynamics of racialisation, resources and power have produced the UK’s distinct racial diversity and its patterns of racial discrimination and inequality. Within this context we take a broad view of racial diversity as covering all racial or ethnic groups living in the UK, including White populations. 

The priority theme for the RDUK autumn 2025 application round is migration, arrivals, and legacies. 

Our particular areas of interest within this theme are:  

•    How colonial legacies and connections shape the UK’s racially diverse past, present and future 
•    Patterns and experiences of migration, arrivals, settlements, and departures 
•    Impacts of migration on places, opportunities, and outcomes for all communities, new and established     
•    Migration and demographic projections and the future of a multi-racial UK 
•    Rights and routes to residency and citizenship  

Award: Grants from £15,000 to £500,000 are available, though most awards are expected to be less than £300,000.

Funder Deadline: 06 October 2025

Research Facilitator Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

BA Talent Development Awards 2025-26

Summary: The aim of the scheme is to enable researchers to build their skills and capacities in core areas to develop their current and future research. This includes core areas like quantitative skills, data science, digital humanities and languages. This scheme promotes the acquisition and advancement of skills in relevant areas, supporting innovative research methods, be that through skills development, collaboration or dissemination.

It is also designed for researchers who wish to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to their work and seek to advance their skills in a new area that may fall outside the traditional bounds of their subject discipline. It provides Early Career Researchers with the opportunity to develop specialist skills to support the foundations of their career. Additionally, the scheme offers mid and senior-career researchers the chance to diversify their skills and methodological approaches in response to new avenues of research interest. The scheme encourages researchers to champion their newly acquired skills within their wider community, contributing to the ongoing development of skills for future generations.

The overarching aims of the scheme are to invest in UK talent and skills, and as a result, to contribute to the development and delivery of high quality regional, national and international research by:

  • raising the quality of advanced quantitative skills and/or data science skills used in research, including digital methods;
  • creating new opportunities for knowledge and skills to exchange across disciplines and sectors; and
  • promoting language learning and the transferable skills that language learning provides.

Award: Maximum grant is £10,000. Awards are for a minimum period of six months and up to a maximum period of 12 months, starting no earlier than 1 March 2026 and no later than 31 March 2026.

Funder Deadline: 08 October 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
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Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 20 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 25 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Nuffield Foundation Strategic Fund

Summary: The Nuffield Foundation’s Strategic Fund is  open to ambitious, cross-cutting research  proposals that seek to address some of the  most pressing social challenges of our time.

The Strategic Fund is reserved for the funding of original, transformative ideas that have the scale and ambition to anticipate and address some of the most significant themes and  developments shaping the UK public policy agenda, now and in the future. These are major grants, typically in the range of £1–3 million and are expected to last between two and  five years. 

Strategic Fund applications should respond to one or more of our five priority questions, and/or explore the connections between them:

  • How can we build a prosperous and fair society, where people are secure
  • How can we build an inclusive society, where people thrive and feel they belong, in the context of changing
    demography and ways of life?
  • How can we ensure that rapid developments in science and technology work for people and society?
  • How can policies to address climate change be developed in a way that promotes a prosperous, fair and inclusive society? 
  • How can we build and maintain the effective, accountable and trustworthy institutions that our society and democracy need and can fulfil their potential?

Award: Between £1 million and £3 million

Funder Deadline: 16 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

REF Impact Funding

Summary: Internal funding is available from the Research Strategy Office to support the development of the University’s REF impact submission. It is expected that successful applications will fund impact activities that may feed into potential impact case studies only where no other monies are available. Applications will be reviewed by the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team. 

Submissions may include (but are not restricted to):

  • Support for gathering feedback from public engagement activities
  • Economic health monitoring
  • Surveying/engaging with research users to evaluate impact
  • Independent evaluation of impacts
  • Resource to collate citations in policy documents

Award: Up to £10,000.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team

 

All Council Harmonised IAA Impact Starter Fund Call 2024-2025

Summary: Impact Starter funding will be available on a rolling basis to fund short-term projects of up to three months duration. Projects are expected to be short, cost-effective ways of kick-starting impact creation from research findings. The Impact Starter Fund will only consider projects that do not qualify for other IAA funding calls.

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

 

Public Engagement Starter Fund

Summary: The Public Engagement Starter Fund is an exciting opportunity for University of Cambridge researchers to apply for small grants to undertake innovative public engagement with research activities.

The fund supports novel projects based on contemporary research at the University of Cambridge which aim to do one or more of the following:

  • Reach a specific target audience
  • Develop a partnership with a community of interest
  • Create an innovative activity for any of the Cambridge Festivals

Proposed projects can take a variety of formats, provided a clear rationale is given regarding the appropriateness of the method of engagement adopted, and how the necessary resources and expertise will be secured. This variety of formats includes (but is not limited to):

  •  Live events e.g. festivals, discussions, workshops, science cafes.
  • Collaborative projects e.g. with publics/organisations as partners in research.
  • Public involvement e.g. patient and public, citizen science.
  • Media e.g. social media, discussions via blogs, broadcasting-led activities.
  • Exhibitions and installations e.g. museums and galleries.
  • Education resources and programmes that connect pupils, teachers and/or education providers directly with research.

Award: Up to £4000
Funder deadline: 05 September 2025
Research Facilitation Contact: starterfund@admin.cam.uk

 

Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund 2025
Summary: The Cambridge-Africa programme is pleased to announce that the call for proposals to the ALBORADA Research Fund is now open. Applications are invited from pairs of researchers (post-doctoral level and above) from the University of Cambridge or an affiliated institute and African universities or research institutes, across all disciplines, to initiate and/or strengthen research collaborations. Please note that the African applicant can be based in any African country and the awards are no longer restricted to African researchers from sub-Saharan Africa.
 
Award: The Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund competitively awards grants of between £1,000 and £20,000 for:

  • research costs (such as reagents, fieldwork and equipment)
  • research-related travel between Cambridge and Africa
  • conducting research training activities in Africa (e.g. workshops/courses)

Funder deadline: 05 September 2025
Research Facilitation Contact: Any queries should be directed to alboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk

 

Cambridge Centre for Data-driven Discovery and Accelerate Science Funding Call 2025

Summary: We are offering small grants for Cambridge University researchers pursuing innovative applications of AI in research or real-world contexts with a focus on inter and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Funding can support a variety of activities, including research, events, workshops, teaching, software development, or software development, with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration.
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Award: 

  • Early Career Seed Funding: Small grants of up to £5,000 for early career researchers (PhD students or postdocs) to provide a step towards an independent research career.
  • Funding for events: Up to £15,000 to convene networks and events.
  • Project grants: Funding of up to £25,000 for larger scale projects.

Funder Deadline: 12 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact:  accelerate-science@cst.cam.ac.uk and coordinator@c2d3.cam.ac.uk

 

Enhancing Research Culture Fund

Summary: Research culture is a broad and encompassing term and there are many activities which may contribute to improving it. The panel will consider activities that explicitly fall within the following areas:

  • Reward & recognition
  • EDI
  • Careers & professional development
  • Open research and collaboration
  • Positive research leadership
  • Inclusive and safe working environments

A reminder that our institutional priorities for research culture are:

  • Precarity: How do we address the issues created by fixed-term contracts in early research careers?
  • Access & Participation: Who gets to do research? Can everyone fully participate as is expected of them?
  • Challenging interpersonal and group dynamics: How do we support researchers who are struggling with difficult research dynamics? How do we support leaders to change?
  • Time & space: How do we ensure people have the time and space to embody and enact good research culture?


Award: Applications may be entered in one of two streams: up to £60K or £60-100K (please note that few applications will be funded in the £60-100k range).

Funder Deadline: 15 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: researchculture@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

DAAD-University of Cambridge Research Hub

Summary: The Hub seeks to draw upon and support the activities of all Cambridge scholars working on German-related and comparative themes from any period and from across all subjects in the Arts, Humanities and the Social Sciences.

CATEGORIES OF FUNDING

  1. Workshops and seed funding for projects:
    We are keen to encourage Cambridge-based academics seeking to establish collaborations with colleagues at German universities and research institutions. We are particularly interested in fostering collaborations that go beyond the bilateral, for example those that link British and German colleagues with networks in North America, Central and Eastern Europe and the developing world. For examples of current workshops, please follow this link to see our website.
  2. Visits to Cambridge by German scholars:
    To encourage long-term scholarly exchange and collaboration, funds can be applied for to cover the costs of visits to Cambridge by German scholars, for up to two weeks. Note that German visitors may not apply directly to the Hub but must be nominated by a Cambridge academic who will be prepared to act as their academic host. It is desirable that the scholar’s research will contribute to that of the Cambridge counterpart. Proposals will be judged on the value that they add to a group of scholars and graduate students and/or the quality of a future collaborative project/research grant application to be worked on during the visit. Guests should also give a paper/lecture, which will be held in the relevant Department/research seminar but also be advertised openly via the Hub website; the general topic should be included in the application. It is possible to apply for funding for a visiting scholar together with funding for a workshop. Approval for the visit from the Faculty Chair will be needed.
  3. Public engagement activities:
    The Hub wishes to broaden its target audience and therefore this call includes this category. Past activities were primarily aimed at an academic audience and the Hub will continue its support for such events, whilst events which specifically address a non-academic audience are now also welcome and will help fulfil the Hub’s aim to reach an audience beyond the immediate university community. This funding strand is for specific public engagement activities, but please note that public engagement activities may also be incorporated into funding strands 1-2 above.

Award: Between £6,000 and £5,000 depending on strand.

Funder Deadline: 15 September 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact Ingrid Hobbis with any questions at Ingrid.Hobbis@admin.cam.ac.uk.

 

Keynes Fund

Summary: The focus of the teaching and research supported by the Fund is the sources and consequences of failure of market efficiency, particularly but not exclusively as a result of Agency costs. In particular, research into: capital market mispricing; the design of incentive systems and mechanisms to reduce the incidence and significance of institutional or general economic failure as well as into responsive public policies. The scope of work to be funded shall include interactions between the financial markets and the real economy.

The Fund will also consider seed funding to help researchers develop large-scale research proposals to be submitted to external funders such as the ESRC.

Award: 
Standard Grant Applications
•    Applications for funds up to £50,000 are classified as standard grants.
•    Proposals for a standard grant, excluding attached CVs, should be no more than 2000 words and proposers should suggest a minimum of one internal reviewer and two external qualified reviewers.

Large Grant Applications
•    Applications for funds in excess of £50,000 are classified as large grants.
•    Proposals for large grants, excluding attached CVs, should be no more than 4000 words and should suggest a minimum of two internal and three external qualified reviewers.

Funder Deadline: 28 September 2025

Contact: Marion Reusch, Keynes Fund Administrator, keynes.fund@econ.cam.ac.uk 

 

CRASSH at 25 | Anniversary open call

Summary: In 2026, CRASSH will mark its 25th anniversary with a programme of events and activities to celebrate the global reputation it has earned for innovative, interdisciplinary research. The programme will highlight CRASSH’s role in promoting new forms of collaboration across and beyond the academic community, as well as its commitment to exploring how knowledge is produced, contested, and mobilised in times of global uncertainty and division.

The anniversary theme: Knowledge in a Fractured World
The anniversary programme, under the theme ‘Knowledge in a Fractured World’, will bring together scholars, artists, activists, and practitioners to examine the challenges and opportunities for knowledge-making in contexts shaped by political polarisation, technological disruption, environmental crisis, and shifting global power. We are interested in asking what happens to the production of knowledge in these contexts and what roles knowledge might play in reinforcing divisions or overcoming them.

Call for event proposals
CRASSH invites proposals for the following events from anyone currently employed at, or studying at, the University of Cambridge (including its Colleges):

Half-day symposia, workshops or other forms of creative/participatory events that address the anniversary theme. To be considered for the anniversary programme, events should be:

  • co-convened by members of the University. The convening team should consist of at least two people from different disciplines
  • planned for May 2026
  • of interest to a wide range of potential audience members, in and outside of academia
  • structured to create critical debate by inviting diverging perspectives 
  • designed to promote dialogue and/or collaboration across different sectors of society

Proposals involving co-convenors from the sciences and/or considering the relationship between the humanities and the sciences are also very welcome. All proposals will be considered by a selection panel drawn from the School of Arts and Humanities and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Award: CRASSH will provide funding of up to £1500 for each half-day event and full logistical support.

Funder Deadline: 28 September 2025

Contact: CRASSH’s Events Manger at events@crassh.cam.ac.uk

 

CRASSH Events & Initiatives Funding

Summary: CRASSH offers support to postdocs and academic staff employed by the University of Cambridge or one of its Colleges to run a wide range of events and creative initiatives. We invite you to apply for funding and logistical support for any activity that will foster the exchange of ideas across disciplines and cultures, forge new collaborations between researchers and other participants, bring academic research to wider publics, or explore the connections between research and artistic practice. Events are to take place between March and June 2026.

Award: Funding of up to £1500 is available for one-day events, £2500 for two-day events, and £1000 for other kinds of initiative. Additional funding may be available for events that experiment with new formats and/or introduce creative or collaborative elements.

Funder Deadline: 15 October 2025

Contact: CRASSH’s Events Manger at events@crassh.cam.ac.uk

 

New Opportunities for the research community to engage with Parliament
UK Parliament Knowledge Exchange Unit
Various dates August 2025

New calls for evidence:

 
All other inquiries currently accepting written evidence:

 
What do select committees do? 
Select committees are groups of parliamentarians whose role is to examine a particular area of government or national policy.  They can be formed from the House of Commons, the House of Lords, or as joint committees with members from both Houses. Committee members come from different political viewpoints. They aim to work together and reach agreement.
 
Select committees run inquiries on specific topics. At the end of an inquiry, they usually produce a report that makes recommendations for improvements. Usually, the recommendations are for the Government, but they can be for other institutions too.  Committees’ recommendations are not binding on the Government. But they are influential, with one of the reasons being the range of evidence and experience that committees hear.
 
Why do committees want to hear from me? 
Committees want to hear from a wide range of people who know about the topic that they investigate. This helps committee members understand problems and make recommendations for improvements. The more ideas they hear and the more people they hear from, the better their work will be. You might know about the topic because of your work, research, or study. You might have personal experience of it, like using government services. All this expertise is valuable to inquiries.

 

Apply to be a University of Cambridge Delegate at COP30 in Brazil
12 August 2024, Expression of Interest deadline 
[SUBMIT EoI HERE]
 
As an official Observer to the UNFCCC negotiations, the University of Cambridge can nominate delegates to attend the COP30 climate change event in Belém, Brazil (10-21 November, 2025). The nomination process is being coordinated by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and Cambridge Zero (CZ); more information on the context, selection process and timeline can be found here.

 

ERC Synergy Grants Webinar hosted by the British Academy
08 September 2025, 14.00 to 15.30 
[REGISTER HERE]
 
The Academy will be holding its next webinar focused on the ERC Synergy Grants on Monday, 8 September 2025 14:00-15:30.
 
If you would like to submit a B1 draft proposal to be considered for feedback during the webinar, please register your interest on the registration form and send your B1 draft to Hannah Moscovitz (h.moscovitz@thebritishacademy.ac.uk) no later than Thursday, 21 August 12:00 (midday).

 

ERC Starting Grant Webinar hosted by the British Academy
24 September 2025, 14.00 to 15.30
[REGISTER HERE]
 
The Academy will be holding its next webinar focused on the ERC Starting Grants on Wednesday 24 September, 2025 14:00-15:30.
 
If you would like to submit a B1 draft proposal to be considered for feedback during the webinar, please register your interest on the registration form and send your B1 draft to Hannah Moscovitz (h.moscovitz@thebritishacademy.ac.uk) no later than Tuesday, 9 September 12:00 (midday).

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

July 2026

 

If you want to discuss funding opportunities or you are working on an application for research funding and would like feedback on a draft, please do contact the School’s Research Facilitators – Anna Cieslik (UK Funding) and Elizabeth Penner (EU/International Funding).  For Impact related queries please contact Lucy Sheerman (Impact Facilitator).

 

You can find more information on the AHSS Research Website, search our External Funding Deadline Calendar and look at Previous Bulletins.  We are also now on Twitter! Follow us for updates on funding calls and information sessions.

 

UK Research Council Funding

 

EU Funding

 

Charity Funding

 

Internal Funding

 

Training / Other

 

AHRC Curiosity Award

Summary: Curiosity awards support early-stage ambitious and novel fundamental research which has the potential to act as a springboard towards new and exciting research agendas.

The funding opportunity celebrates the full diversity of the arts and humanities. It is flexible, and applications are welcomed from teams, networks, and solo researchers.

The funding opportunity is intentionally flexible. An indicative list of examples of the activities we will fund are provided as follows. You are encouraged to request and justify costs for activities that best meet the aims of your project. This may include:

  • idea generation
  • seed corn funding
  • high risk and high potential concepts
  • novel research
  • networking activity
  • partnership building
  • knowledge exchange
  • public engagement
  • international collaboration
  • scoping and piloting, for example, early-stage proof of concept for ideas or change of direction
  • pivots in research focus at any career stage
  • mentoring for members of the research team

To note, this is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list.

Award: Up to £100,000 full economic cost (FEC) and AHRC will fund 80% of this. Funding is available for projects up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC Catalyst Award

Summary: Catalyst awards support researchers without prior experience of leading a significant research project to accelerate their trajectory as independent researchers, unlocking their potential and building leadership and convenor experience through the delivery of ambitious or complex projects.

The scheme takes a people-centred approach with funding available to support the development of researchers and their research ideas. It is flexible, and applications are welcomed from teams, networks and solo researchers.

Development is at the core of this scheme. Projects must clearly articulate how the funding will contribute to the development of all those involved through the way that the project has been designed and will be managed, with appropriate support structures in place.

Award: Up to £300,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC Standard Grant

Summary: Projects should aim to:

  • enable arts and humanities researchers to establish or enhance effective working relationships with fellow researchers (both within and beyond the arts and humanities, and within and beyond the UK), as well as practitioners, and the wide range of individuals and organisations who may benefit from their research
  • provide opportunities for less experienced researchers to develop their expertise and their careers by working collaboratively with senior researchers on well-defined projects and by leading projects themselves
  • maximise the value of research outcomes by promoting their communication and dissemination with individuals and organisations outside academia and, where appropriate, to facilitate the knowledge transfer of those outcomes to both the research community and other contexts where they will make a difference

We’re looking for researchers with applications for well-defined collaborative research projects. However, you may include elements of individual research if you can show how this will add value.

Collaborations can involve:

  • a single institution or a combination of institutions
  • researchers working in different research areas
  • disciplines within the arts and humanities, or between an arts and humanities discipline and another subject area. In such collaborations the arts and humanities element of the project should lead in shaping the research questions, methods and so on
  • researchers working in other sectors
  • researchers based abroad

The proposed collaboration should be appropriate for the specific needs of the research project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1.5 million. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept

Summary: Your proposed activities should galvanise arts and humanities research previously funded by AHRC or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to deliver meaningful real-world change through significant economic, social, cultural, or policy impact.

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept funding opportunity aims to:

  • facilitate ambitious arts and humanities projects to realise measurable, real-world change
  • provide flexible support for innovative pathways to impact, whether projects are pivoting to new contexts and collaborations, amplifying existing impact activity or at the early stage of developing commercialisation outcomes
  • sustain and maximise excellent models of co-design, co-development and partnership working to deliver tangible outputs that demonstrate the transformational benefits of arts and humanities research
  • encourage and enable a range of pathways to impact between arts and humanities research and a variety of user communities, including business, third sector and heritage sector, public policy, voluntary and community groups, or the general public
  • celebrate and support meaningful arts and humanities contributions to economic growth and government priorities.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £150,000, with AHRC funding 80% of the FEC. Costs associated with project co-lead internationals (PcL (I)) will be funded at 100% FEC but must not exceed 30% of the total FEC of the project. However, this funding cap does not apply to any PcL(I) based in a country on the OECD DAC list (excepting India and China). PcL(I)s from a country on the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) DAC (Development Assistance Committee) list (excepting India and China) are also eligible to claim overheads support.

Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration, offering flexibility to suit the scale of your project.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC Standard Grant

Summary: This flexible opportunity funds basic, applied and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics within ESRC’s remit. Ambitious and novel proposals addressing new concepts and techniques are encouraged, as are those with the potential for significant scientific or societal and economic impact.

There are no thematic or methodological priorities; we will fund the highest quality proposals received, regardless of focus or approach.

Proposals can draw from the wider sciences, as long as the social sciences are more than 50% of the focus and effort. ESRC will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council. 

Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million. ESRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration, offering flexibility to suit the scale of your project.

Funder Deadline: Scheme closes in Autumn 2026, specific date TBA. The ESRC Standard Grant scheme remains open to applications, with no submission deadlines, until the new Grow and Explore opportunities are opened.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC Responsive Mode: Working with Luxembourg Researchers

Summary: You can submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the social sciences within the remit of ESRC and FNR.

UK and Luxembourg applicants should ensure that their joint applications are well balanced, with clear roles and objectives attributed to both sides of the collaboration. Within the joint applications, the UK collaborator should be the lead applicant contributing with a slightly higher research effort.

We will fund basic, applied and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics within ESRC’s remit. Ambitious and novel proposals addressing new concepts and techniques are encouraged, as are those with the potential for significant scientific or societal and economic impact. There are no thematic or methodological priorities; we will fund the highest quality proposals received, regardless of focus or approach.

Proposals can draw from the wider sciences, as long as the social sciences are more than 50% of the focus and effort. We will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council.

Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC. FNR will pay all justified costs for Luxembourg submitted through their system. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC Responsive Mode: Secondary Data Analysis

Summary: This funding opportunity supports research that exploits existing data resources for social and economic research. Applicants have considerable flexibility to focus on any subject area or topic providing that it falls within ESRC’s remit. Proposed research is not required to use ESRC-funded data resources, though this is encouraged.

This funding opportunity also aims to develop the capacity and skills of social sciences communities in using large and complex existing data resources. We encourage partnerships with non-academic stakeholders to ensure generation of high-impact, policy and practitioner-relevant research.

Proposals can draw from the wider sciences, but the social sciences must represent more than 50% of the research focus and effort. We will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council.

Ambitious and novel research proposals addressing new concepts and techniques are encouraged, as are those with the potential for significant scientific or societal and economic impact. Fresh ideas from new researchers are also encouraged, and proposals are welcomed from early career researchers.

Award: The FEC of your project can be up to £300,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC. The duration of this award is up to two years (24 months).

Funder Deadline: Scheme closes in Autumn 2026, specific date TBA. The Secondary Data Analysis scheme remains open to applications, with no submission deadlines, until the new Grow and Explore opportunities are opened.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Gambling harms research grants

Summary: This opportunity aims to deliver high-quality research projects and build capacity in the research ecosystem. UKRI welcomes applications addressing any question or challenge that deepens understanding or supports solutions for the prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms.

This opportunity is open to the research and innovation communities across all UKRI research councils, and interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approaches are encouraged.

Interdisciplinary research combines distinct components of two or more disciplines through the integration of separate disciplinary data, methods, tools, concepts or theories in order to address a complex issue, question, or problem. Interdisciplinary projects will be co-created or co-designed with input from all disciplines involved and the disciplines genuinely integrated with each discipline gaining something significant by being part of the project.

Multidisciplinary research involves different disciplines working towards the same challenge. The work packages do not require integration and remain largely separate and independent of each other, with the outputs of each combining to address the research challenge.

Whether your project uses an interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary or single discipline approach, you should clearly articulate throughout your application how the challenge can only be address through your chosen approach. You should include the appropriate measures for team management and project governance to ensure a successful outcome.

Award: The FEC of your project can be up to £2,000,000. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. The duration of this award is three years. Awards are expected to be offered in July 2027. A period of up to six months from the date of the award letter to the commencement of grant activity is permitted, as per standard UKRI terms and conditions.

Funder Deadline: 17 July 2026, expression of interest deadline. 08 December 2026, full application deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Sector transition: UKRI policy fellowships 2026

Summary:Fellows will be uniquely positioned to:

  • provide research and expert advice on the host’s policy priority areas, including co-designing and delivering research projects and activities
  • engage in knowledge exchange (KE) activities across government and academia
  • join a cohort of fellows to build longer-term networks across research and policy
  • build lasting connections between the policymaking and research communities
  • generate and share new knowledge and insights on effective policy collaboration with the wider research community and with funders of this funding opportunity

The fellowship cohort will be organised around the key policy priority areas including, where applicable, the UK Modern Industrial Strategy sectors (IS-8) and government missions.

Three types of fellowship are offered:

Core policy fellows
Core policy fellows are open to early and mid-career researchers and will be based within UK or devolved government, or an arm’s length body focusing on key public policy priority areas. For Whitehall departments and arm’s length body hosts, fellowships will align with one of the IS-8 sectors supporting objectives to drive productivity, innovation and long‑term economic growth, or one of the government’s core missions.

Modern Industrial Strategy (IS-8) sectors:

  • advanced manufacturing
  • clean energy industries
  • creative industries
  • defence
  • digital and technologies
  • financial services
  • life sciences
  • professional and business services

Government missions:

  • economic growth
  • NHS fit for the future
  • safer streets
  • break down barriers to opportunity
  • clean energy

Gambling policy fellowships are also offered within the core policy fellowships, focusing on delivery of the government’s statutory levy on gambling operators. The fellowships will enable early and mid-career researchers to work closely with levy commissioners on key public policy areas for the prevention and treatment of gambling related harms.

Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellows
Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellowships are open to early and mid-career researchers and will be based within UK or devolved government, or an arm’s length body. The Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellowships will enable early and mid-career researchers to work closely with policymakers to focus on natural hazards and pandemic preparedness to help solve critical national and global challenges and work to guarantee the UK’s future resilience to situations that could cause or threaten serious harm to human welfare or the environment. This would include a spectrum of potential natural hazards with a clear focus on human impact such as:

  • health risks (including infectious disease)
  • flooding
  • loss of essential services like power, food, water, and telecoms

These fellowships are funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the COVID-19 Commemoration programme.

What Works Innovation fellowships
What Works Innovation fellowships are open to researchers at all career stages and fellows will be based within the What Works Network to increase the supply of and demand for evidence to address priorities in the hosts’ policy areas of:

  • homelessness
  • policing
  • place

In total this funding opportunity offers 50 fellowships across the three fellowship sub cohorts.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to:

  • £180,000 for Core Policy fellowships
  • £220,000 for What Works Innovation fellowships
  • £280,000 for Natural Hazards and Resilience fellowships

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 10 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC Large Grant: Outline Stage

Summary: AHRC Large Grants support teams in delivering novel, ambitious and transformative arts and humanities research projects at scale. Large Grant award holders will use team convening approaches to deliver world-leading excellent research that significantly advances knowledge and builds capability in their chosen area. We expect Large Grants teams to underpin their planned research with a clear pathway to impact, with sustainable benefits beyond the funded period of the project.

Large Grants are expected to deliver tangible and impactful change at a scale commensurate with the amount of funding available. The nature of this change should be directed by the research priorities collectively set by each applicant team. Anticipated benefits should be clearly defined and, in addition to advancing knowledge, may encompass impacts across society, culture and the economy.

This is an opportunity to submit an outline stage application for AHRC Large Grant awards. We have purposefully streamlined what we are asking applicant teams to submit in order to reduce administrative burden and manage demand during this initial stage.

Award: This is the outline stage of this funding opportunity. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £3 million. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. Projects must be between three and five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: 16 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC React Awards (pilot): outline

Summary: React awards enable time-critical research to support policymakers and practitioners delivering frontline public services in the UK. Researchers must work with public sector partners to respond to emerging and urgent evidence needs and deliver impactful outputs within six months.

To facilitate this, the pilot will be open to applications on a responsive basis and use a streamlined decision process, allowing proposals to be assessed, funded and start delivering within weeks. Successful projects will be expected to start within a month of funding confirmation.

A central objective of this opportunity is to allow researchers to support urgent policymaker or practitioner evidence needs in the UK. Therefore, applications will be required to include at least one collaborating partner from the UK public sector who needs and is able to action the planned project outputs within six months of them being produced. Partnerships must be confirmed at the time of application, fully aligned in terms of activity objectives, and able to begin the collaboration immediately from the start of an award.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months. Projects must start within one month of funding confirmation. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £100,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 08 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

2026-27 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

With the publication of the 2026-27 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read. This PDF [here] also outlines specific opportunities for AHSS researchers.

The European Commission adopted the main Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027, a €14 billion investment designed to drive research and innovation (R&I) across the EU's strategic goals. These goals include achieving climate neutrality, boosting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and innovation, and ensuring resilience in a rapidly changing world.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding).

 

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

You can sign up for our free daily EU grants and funding newsletter (English) by filling out this form. A digest of upcoming funding opportunities will arrive directly to your mailbox. If you would like to access all funding opportunities on our portal, you need to subscribe to the membership.

 

NEWS: ERC Scientific Council readjusts rules for reapplication

The ERC Scientific Council has listened to the concerns from members of the research community about the recent announcement on changes to the re-submission rules. The changes, intended to manage the surge in demand for ERC grants, pertain to calls for proposals in the 2027 ERC Work Programme. The Scientific Council has decided to readjust some of the announced changes. Read their response to the community.

 

RESOURCE: Horizon Europe National Contact Points Portal

The network of National Contact Points (NCPs) is the main structure to provide guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe. NCPs are also established in many non-EU and non-associated countries ("third countries").

ERC Advanced Grant

Summary:The ERC Advanced Grant is for established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements in the last 10 years. PIs should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions.

Award: € 2.5 million for a period of 5 years. An additional € 1 million can be requested to cover start-up costs, the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities. 

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Plus Grant

Summary: The ERC Plus Grant supports outstanding principal investigators who address major scientific challenges. Applications for ERC Plus Grants should be for projects that could not be carried out with a regular ERC grant. Applicants should explain how the proposed project goes beyond the scope of a regular ERC project, for example because it aims to transform the field or open new avenues of research. 

Scholars at all career stages can apply for an ERC Plus Grant if they have an outstanding record of scientific achievement at the forefront of their field. Their intellectual leadership will be evaluated in accordance with their career stage. A researcher will be allowed to hold only one ERC Plus Grant in their lifetime. 

Applications can be made in any field of research. The ERC's grants operate on a 'bottom-up' basis without predetermined priorities. 

Award: Up to €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding for projects a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) and with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. 

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship

Summary: The objective of PFs is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

European Postdoctoral Fellowships. They are open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. They fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

Both types of fellowships may also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except during the return phase of a Global Fellowship).

In an effort to build bridges between the academic and non-academic sector, researchers can receive additional support to carry out a placement of up to 6 months in a non-academic organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement needs to take place at the end of their fellowship.

Award: Up to €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding for projects a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) and with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. 

Funder Deadline: 09 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Proof of Concept

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

Proof of Concept Grants aim at maximising the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.

Award: A lump sum of € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Gulbenkian Institute for Advanced Study

Summary: Established by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 2025, the Gulbenkian Institute for Advanced Study (GIAS) hosts world-class communities of fellows in a congenial intellectual environment, offering three-to-eight-month residencies, with few formal obligations.

The GIAS will host international academics, but will also consider applications from emeriti, independent scholars, and artists. Applications in most non-laboratorial and non-experimental fields will be considered, provided that the proposed work is not primarily practice- or application-oriented.

Award: Fellowships include a monthly stipend, travel expenses, family health insurance, and a partial housing allowance. The final amount of the fellowship will be determined upon consideration of the circumstances of individual fellows. We may help fellows in finding accommodation, as well as schools for accompanying children, when required.

Funder Deadline: 15 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Synergy Grant

Summary: The aim of the Synergy Grant is to support a small group (hereafter, the Synergy Grant Group) of two to four innovative and active Principal Investigators jointly addressing ambitious research problems that cannot be tackled by any single Principal Investigator and their team alone. Principal Investigators of any professional seniority, and with a competitive track record matching their career stage can apply. One of the Principal Investigators (except the Corresponding Principal Investigator) of the Synergy Grant Group may be hosted and engaged by an institution outside of the EU or an Associated Country.

Award: Up to a maximum of € 10 million for a period of 6 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). An additional € 4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Funder Deadline: TBC, February 2027

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

British Council Cultural Protection Fund

Summary: This funding round will support projects which will protect cultural heritage at risk, not merely to preserve the past. 

Cultural heritage is everything we inherit from past generations that determines our traditions, rituals, and values and form our sense of place and identity. CPF perceives the most urgent threats to be related to:  

  • Conflict: Cultural heritage is increasingly deliberately targeted during conflict including through destruction of sacred places, by removing people’s rights to their identity and traditions and through attempted suppression or erasure of narratives. 
  • Climate change: Extreme weather and geological events can destroy buildings and sites; temperature spikes threaten ancient objects and records; scarcity of resources can force communities from where they live, restricting them from passing on skills, traditions, recipes and languages to the next generation. 

We’re looking for projects protecting cultural heritage at risk in: Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Yemen

University Internal selection:
Institutions can only submit one application. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure.
 
To take part in the internal selection, please complete our online form (NB: if asked to log-in, please use your crsid/Raven details; note that a Form cannot be saved and returned to) by 8th July 2026. 
 
You will need the following documents and information to complete the Form:

  • PI name, department, and email address
  • Project title
  • Project partners and the country/countries they are registered in
  • The CPF target country/countries where your activities will be focussed
  • A project summary (max 750 words) outlining:
    • The cultural heritage your project will focus on, and why it is important and valued (including to local communities)
    • The specific risks your cultural heritage is facing and what your project will do to protect the heritage against these risks
  • An email from the Head of Department, confirming support for the project and agreement to host the grant

Internal Assessment Criteria:
Please note that the assessment of internal applications will focus on the following core funder criteria:

  • The significance/value of the cultural heritage
  • The type and urgency of the threats
  • Project need


Award: Organisations can apply for grants of up to £500,000. While each application will be assessed on its own merit, although we have limited funding available, we expect to make approximately: 

  • seven awards for projects with grant values between £100,000 and £500,000; and  
  • 20 awards to projects with grant values under £100,000. 

Funder Deadline: 08 July 2026, Internal restricted deadline; 20 July 2026, Expression of Interest funder deadline; 28 August 2026, Full Application Deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk.

BA Innovation Fellowships 2026-26 - Route B: Policy-led

Summary:The British Academy is inviting applications for funding for policy-led Innovation Fellowships (Route B), through which applicants must apply to work with one of our partners. Our partners for this funding call are:

Resilient Communities
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); Ministry of Justice (MoJ); Local Policy Innovation Partnerships (LPIP) Hub, City-REDI, University of Birmingham; Government Office for Science (GO Science)

Digital Society
Digital Regulatory Cooperation Forum (DRCF); Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)

Through the Innovation Fellowships, our researchers in the humanities and social sciences are supported to create new and deeper links beyond academia, enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, as well as individual skills development.

This call will enable researchers to work with a policy partner for 12 months. Successful applicants will work on areas that correspond with the British Academy’s Resilient Communities or Digital Society policy programme.

The Academy and the partners invite applications for Fellowships in any of the following areas:

Resilient Communities

  • Valuing and mapping cultural infrastructure (DCMS)
  • The Academy is also partnering with the AHRC-funded Locally Unlocking Culture through Inclusive Access (LUCIA) programme to provide this fellow with network benefits of the LUCIA programme.
  • Understanding access to justice for individuals and families (MoJ)
  • Applying frameworks to value community infrastructure (LPIP)
  • Social and cultural infrastructure for community resilience and emergency preparedness (GO Science)

Digital Society

  • Consumer protection, innovation and regulation in a data-driven, AI-enabled economy (DRCF)
  • Place and People Focused AI Upskilling for Growth and Opportunity (DWP)

Applicants should note that the Fellow would finalise the outline of a work programme with the partner after being awarded the Fellowship, and therefore applicants are not required to submit a research proposal as part of the application.

Award: Route B (Policy-led) awards are on the basis of Full Economic Costing (FEC) at 80 per cent. The British Academy will award up to £120,000. The Applicant must commit between 0.4 and 0.8 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) time to the Fellowship. 

Funder Deadline: 05 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Thematic Research Lead Fellowships, 2027-2029

Summary: Thematic Research Leads (TRLs) join us in parliament three days per week, for a two-year term, while retaining their substantive post for their remaining hours each week. TRLs work strategically to increase engagement with, provide access to, and enhance the effective use of research within parliament. TRLs have deep thematic expertise, which they mobilise to provide information and advice across a broad policy area and to create meaningful knowledge exchange, serving the parliamentary community’s evidence needs. The UK Parliament is recruiting to seven TRL portfolios:

The Knowledge Exchange Unit is hosting an online information session that will be valuable for potential TRL applicants, and for knowledge mobilisers who wish to support or encourage researchers to apply. It will also be useful for senior colleagues who want to understand more on the value, benefits, and prestige the role brings to their institution when they endorse the application of a staff member. 

In the session, we will: 

  • Explain how TRLs enhance the use of research evidence in UK Parliament, and the key teams they work with. 
  • Hear from current TRLs about their experiences, including what the role involves in practice and how it has shaped their careers. 
  • Share insight from UKRI into the strategic importance of the TRL programme, why it’s a key investment, and its significance within the wider research and policy landscape. 
  • Provide top tips for applying, including the skills and experience we’re looking for. 
  • Answer your questions about the role and the recruitment process. 

Register to attend the information session here, which will be held Thursday 18 June 13.00 to 14.30, Online.

Award: Each post is for a 24 month period at 0.6 FTE, beginning 1 April 2027 and ending 31 March 2029. UKRI will meet 80% of the full economic costs and the host institution is expected to support the remaining 20%. If invited to assessment and interview, applicants will be required to provide indicative costing for: their salary and FTE related costs, as well as travel and subsistence to allow for three days per month in Westminster. For non-clinical applicants, we expect the estimated 100% FEC not to exceed £240,000. UK Parliament will contribute in-kind funding, including supervision, professional development opportunities, workspace and IT equipment.

Funder Deadline: 09 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Connections Through Cultures

Summary: Connections Through Culture (CTC) grants are designed to enable meaningful partnerships, cross-cultural exchange and long-term collaboration between the UK and participating countries. 
 
Eligible activity may include: 

  • Co-creation and collaborative* artistic development
  • Residencies and exchanges
  • Workshops, panels, talks and knowledge-sharing activity
  • Research and development
  • Collaborative exhibitions, performances, presentations and showcases
  • Festivals and biennials activity
  • Digital innovation
  • Showcasing activity (including biennale and festival participation, where the showcase constitutes a collaborative project between partners in the UK and participating countries)
  • Public programmes and audience engagement
  • Artist, designer, practitioner or participant development
  • Capacity building and shared learning
  • Interdisciplinary or cross-artform activity

 
*For further clarification of our definition of ‘collaboration’ please see our FAQs page.
 
Award: Grants of between £5,000 and £15,000 are available to support creative practitioners, cultural professionals, artists, organisations, festivals, biennials, hubs and collectives to develop and deliver projects across a range of themes and art forms.

Funder Deadline: 12 August 2026
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator)

Italy Made Me 2026 Call for Applications

Summary: The Embassy of Italy in London invites candidates to apply for the Italy Made Me Awards for research 2026. The initiative, patronised and coordinated by the Embassy, is run in collaboration with the Association of Italian Scientists in the United Kingdom (AISUK) and the support of other Italian and British organisations. 

The prizes are awarded to Italian early-career researchers working in the UK who completed at least part of their training in Italy. They recognise achievements in the following fields, as defined by the European Research Council (ERC): 

  • Life Sciences (LS); 
  • Physical and Engineering Sciences (PE); 
  • Social Sciences and Humanities (SH).

Award: The prizes consist of money, provided by generous sponsors of the initiative, and will be assigned by the end of 2026. On the occasion of a ceremony that will be held at the Embassy, the Italian Ambassador will award also an official certificate.

Funder Deadline: 15 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: For further information, contact: londra.scienza@esteri.it.

BA Mid-Career Fellowship

Summary: Through this scheme, the Academy intends to both support outstanding individual researchers with excellent research proposals, and to promote public understanding of and engagement with the humanities and social sciences. The primary rationale of the scheme is, therefore, to free successful applicants from their normal academic and administrative commitments for a period of 6 to 12 months to devote to the completion of a major piece of research. In addition, the Academy will look for evidence of a clear commitment to a strategy of public engagement and communication of the research outcomes during the period of the Fellowship.

Award: These Fellowships are covered under the Full Economic Costing (FEC) framework, but the Academy’s contribution is calculated at 80 per cent of this figure, with the Academy’s contribution to the salary of the Mid-Career Fellow capped at an upper limit of £80,000. It is not expected that the total value of an award will exceed £152,000 (80 per cent Academy contribution to FEC). Awards can be held for a minimum of 6 months up to a maximum of 12 months.

Funder Deadline: 26 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorships

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area of research, within the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

Award: A minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000. 

Funder Deadline: 01 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (CKAF) autumn

Summary: The aim of this competition is to support organisations to move viable public sector Knowledge Assets with identified potential markets towards commercialisation. A Knowledge Asset is an intangible asset that your organisation holds. Examples of Knowledge Assets include know how, expertise, intellectual property, rights for designs, research and development outputs, source code and creative outputs.
 
Award: Between £50,000 and £250,000

Funder Deadline: 01 September 2026
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator)

Restricted Call: NIHR Research Professorships Cohort 17

Summary: The Research Strategy Office has invited nominations for the NIHR Research Professorships. This is a restricted call, with nominations being submitted to the RSO by the School. If you have identified researchers at your Faculty/Department who would like to be nominated, please send the form [link here] and an HoD Letter of Support to Anna Cieslik (amc238@Cam.ac.uk) by 1 September 2026. Please see below for more information about the call.
 
Restricted Call: NIHR Research Professorships Cohort 17
It is expected that the NIHR will issue the call for Research Professorships Cohort 17 in September 2026. This scheme is aimed at health, public health, and adult social care researchers, as well as methodologists with an outstanding research record of clinical and applied health/care research and its effective translation for improved health and care. The priority of the scheme is promoting the effective translation of research into practice.
 
Candidate and Research Eligibility

  • Career Trajectory: Candidates must demonstrate a steep career trajectory over the last 5–10 years.
  • Seniority Rule: Applicants must have spent no more than 5 years at their current level of seniority (Professor, Reader, or equivalent) at the time of application.
  • Target Profile: Candidates should not be established leaders yet, but rather on an upward trajectory to become leaders by the end of the award.
  • Research Areas: Work must be in experimental medicine, public health, health services research, social care, or methodology.
  • Partnerships: Nominations are only eligible where the University is working in partnership with the NHS, or organisations/commissioners/providers of public health/care services based in England.

 
Key Institutional Expectations

  • Salary Recycling: The NIHR funds the basic salary of the Professor. The University is required to recycle the released salary costs to reinvest in building research capacity (e.g., hiring new staff or supporting ECRs).
  • Sustainability: The University must commit to supporting the individual beyond the lifetime of the award, including a long-term employment plan and a permanent professorial post.
  • Infrastructure: Guaranteed access to administrative support, research facilities, and leadership development is mandatory.

 
University Internal Selection
NIHR restricts the number of nominations a Higher Education Institution (HEI) can submit. For Cohort 17, the University may submit a maximum of 3 nominations, subject to the following diversity criteria:

  • If 1 nomination is made: Applicants can be male or female.
  • If 2 nominations are made: At least one applicant must be female.
  • If 3 nominations are made: At least one applicant must be female AND at least one applicant must be from an ethnic minority group.

Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure.

Award: Each award consists of a five-year package (up to £2M) to support a professorship, including support posts, research running costs, a travel fund, and a leadership and development programme..

Funder Deadline: 01 September 2026, SHSS internal deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

APEX Awards

Summary: The APEX Awards (Academies Partnership in Supporting Excellence in Cross-disciplinary research) offer established independent researchers, with a strong track record in their respective area and proven ability to lead collaborative work, an exciting opportunity to pursue genuine interdisciplinary and blue skies, curiosity-driven research to benefit wider society. Successful applicants will be expected to work in collaboration with relevant researchers from other disciplines.

The objectives of this scheme are to:

  • promote collaboration across disciplines, with a particular emphasis on the boundary between science, engineering, and the social sciences and humanities
  • support outstanding interdisciplinary research which is unlikely to be supported through conventional funding programmes
  • support researchers with an outstanding track record in developing their research in a new direction through collaboration with partners from other disciplines
  • enable outstanding researchers to focus on advancing their innovative research through seed funding

Award: Awards are expected to commence between 1 October and 31 December 2027 and can be held for up to 24 months. Applicants can apply for up to £200,000. This represents the maximum award value which can be used to cover staff costs for the Lead applicant and the Co-applicant(s), research costs and public engagement costs.

Research costs must represent no more than 25% of the total award value excluding public engagement costs. Research costs can cover consumables, equipment, and collaborative travel.

Public engagement costs: applicants can request up to £10,000 to support public engagement activities relating to their APEX proposal. Please note that public engagement costs should not be included in the total award value when calculating the 25% limit for research costs.

Funder Deadline: 08 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

BA SHAPE Involve and Engage

Summary: This programme offers the opportunity to think outside the box, test a new approach and be ambitious in your approach to engaging a public audience with your research.

The programme will:

  • Act as a catalyst to get a project or idea up and running.
  • Be an opportunity to try a new approach or work with a new audience to gain new perspectives on your research.
  • Offer the chance to build a new partnership with the cultural or performing arts sector or try a new idea with an existing collaborator. The chance to work with a partner who truly adds value and makes a meaningful contribution to your project through their expertise, connections, skills or collections.
  • Allow you to make contacts and find networking opportunities with others in the research community who are interested in exploring new and innovative approaches to public engagement.

Award: Up to £8,000

Funder Deadline: 18 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator)

The Wellcome Prize for Mental Health Science with Nature

Summary: As the world’s largest mental health prize, the Wellcome Prize for Mental Health Science with Nature, celebrates breakthrough research, elevates mental health science globally and helps drive transformative change in people’s lives.

Your intervention must demonstrate clear and measurable clinical benefit and:

  • Should be in the areas of anxiety, depression and psychosis* and have the potential to transform people’s lives.
  • Can be pharmacological, psychological, social or digital. Diagnostic and mechanistic tools will only be considered eligible as part of an achievement that involves developing a treatment intervention. Standalone tools are not eligible.
  • Must be novel, in concept or application, going considerably beyond established knowledge or routine practice. Work that constitutes optimisation, fine tuning or other incremental advances is not considered new.
  • Be grounded in a strong scientific and theoretical rationale.
  • Demonstrate improvement on clinically relevant endpoints such as symptoms and functioning, or secondary endpoints such as quality of life.
  • Be supported by evidence from an appropriately powered randomised controlled trial, or an equivalent rigorous study design.
  • The most recent clinical data must be published in a peer-reviewed journal or verifiable through a recognised repository and dated within the past five years.
  • Should be at an early stage of implementation and not yet be adopted as standard of care in more than two countries.
  • Should show meaningful involvement of people with lived experience throughout the intervention’s lifecycle, supported by clear evidence. While this is not a mandatory eligibility requirement, lived experience is an important evaluation criterion.

*Anxiety, depression and psychosis are broadly defined conditions and are inclusive of bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, postnatal and perinatal conditions. 

Award: The winning team will be awarded $1 million USD. 3 finalist teams will be awarded $250,000 USD.

Funder Deadline: 18 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Nuffield Foundation Racial Diversity UK Fund

Summary: Researchers, academics, charities and other organisations working on racial diversity, inequality and inclusion can now apply for grants for research projects through the Nuffield Foundation’s Racial Diversity UK (RDUK) fund. This year our theme is Inter-generational changes, continuities and challenges in a racially diverse UK. We are interested in the opportunities and challenges of the UK’s racially diverse future, how these change over generations, and how they are shaped by legacies of the UK’s colonial past. 

Background and scope
The UK’s racial composition has changed considerably since the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948, marking the beginning of the post-war settlement of citizens from Britain’s former colonies. Today, the UK’s growing racial diversity and continuing racial disparities bring both opportunities and challenges. 

There is a substantial body of research evidencing racial inequalities in most areas of UK life; from health to housing, education to employment, crime and policing to criminal justice. There is less evidence for why some of the UK’s differential racial outcomes persist while other disparities have closed. Nor is there much evidence about what works to end racial disparities, nor of when, how or if policy and programme interventions are effective in achieving this, and little research has focused on the wider benefits and opportunities that racial diversity can bring. 

This programme is funded by an endowment that supports work relating to the Commonwealth. As such, our interest is in the future of UK society as shaped by its colonial past, specifically by the migration of people from former British colonies to the UK. This migration and the accompanying dynamics of racialisation, resources and power have produced the UK’s distinct racial diversity and its patterns of racial discrimination and inequality. Within this context we take a broad view of racial diversity as covering all racial or ethnic groups living in the UK, including White populations.  

Award: Up to £500,000

Funder Deadline: 05 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Nuffield Foundation Main Grant (Research, Development and Analysis Fund)

Summary: The Main Grants fund (the Research, Development and Analysis Fund) offers support for research that addresses one or more of the priority questions outlined in our Strategic Review. 

A prosperous and fair society

  • How can we build a prosperous and fair society, where people are secure and can fulfil their potential?

An inclusive society

  • How can we build an inclusive society, where people thrive and feel they belong, in the context of changing demography and ways of life?

Science, technology and society

  • How can we ensure that developments in science and technology work for people and society?

Climate change

  • How can policies to address climate change be developed in a way that promotes a prosperous,  fair and inclusive society?

Trustworthy and effective institutions

  • How can we build and maintain the effective, accountable and trustworthy institutions that  our society and democracy need?

Award: Our Main Grants fund (the Research, Development and Analysis Fund) offers up to £500,000. In special cases, and by prior agreement, we accept applications for up to £750,000. Most of the grants we award are below £300,000.

Funder Deadline: 05 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

BA International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2027

Summary: The purpose of each project will be to develop new international research led by and grounded in the humanities and/or social sciences, to further understanding of mobilities. Genuinely productive and integral interdisciplinarity is a requirement, with the expectation that this will involve collaboration across disciplines. The collaboration can include any SHAPE or STEM discipline as long as the research is led by and grounded in the humanities and/or social sciences. Applications that do not meet this requirement will be considered ineligible and will not be taken forward through the assessment process. The Academy particularly encourages applications led from the humanities.
 

The Academy requires applications to address one or more of the following topic areas. The framing questions related to each topic area are intended to spark thought and provide a framing for the call; they should not be seen as prescriptive. Applicants are reminded that mobilities is understood in this call in terms of movement of people, things and ideas, and of how such movement functions as powerful connectors across areas, domains, societies and borders, and over time.

  • People, Materials and Things: With this call the Academy wishes to support research that understands the movement of people and explores and interrogates the movement of materials. This includes both movement across geographical space as well as movement over time.
  • Ideas, Narratives and Innovation: With this call the Academy wishes to support research that produces new insights for understanding the context in which ideas, stories and technological developments spread, and how change is both driven by such developments and by the contexts and connections in which they happen. This includes both movement across geographical space as well as movement through a society such as the spread of a narrative, political idea or a protest movement through a community.

Award: The total funding available per award in this call is up to £300,000 over 2 years. Within that limit of £300,000 over 2 years the award is offered at 80% FEC (i.e. the total contribution requested from the Academy may not exceed £300,000 and the total project value at 100% FEC may not exceed £375,000).

Funder Deadline: 07 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Core Research Grants, Russell Sage Foundation

Summary: RSF funds specific investigator-initiated research projects that align with its research priorities and further its mission. We are particularly interested in analyses that make use of newly available data or demonstrate novel uses of existing data, to answer emerging or long-standing questions of interest in the foundation’s program areas and special initiatives. We also support original data collection, including field and survey experiments, in-depth qualitative interviews, and ethnographies.
 
Research Priorities

RSF does not consider submissions that solely make routine use of publicly-available data, such as the Current Population Survey, American Community Survey, Panel Study of Income Dynamics, National Longitudinal survey of Youth, etc. Only novel uses of these data sets, particularly ones that link publicly-available data to new data sets or ones that use the restricted versions of these data will be considered.
 
Award: Between $50,000 and $200,000 USD. Projects are limited to two years in duration.

Funder Deadline: 28 October 2026, Mandatory Letter of Inquiry deadline
 
Research Facilitation Contact: elizabeth.penner@admin.cam.ac.uk

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 10 November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
.
Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 17 November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Research Centre

Summary: The Trust invites applications for Leverhulme Research Centres that will not only conduct research of outstanding originality but also aspire to achieve a significant step-change in scholarship. The Trust aims to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic. Applicants are, therefore, invited to be bold in compiling their bids. The centres should have the capacity to become recognised internationally for excellence in their chosen area. 

The Trust has a reputation for encouraging higher-risk research, which is therefore often fundamental or curiosity-driven – so-called ‘blue skies’ – and multi-disciplinary. The expectation is that centres will draw upon a range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise, perhaps bringing new disciplinary mixes to bear on a particular topic. 

Award: Up to £10 million is available for up 10 years.

Funder Deadline: February 2027. This will be a restricted call.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and the Research Strategy Office.

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Impact Starter Fund Call 2025-2026

Summary: The Impact Starter Fund sits within the schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities wider AHSS impact hub, providing a supportive space for researchers to explore early-stage impact and knowledge exchange ideas. As the first step to achieving impact, it helps researchers develop skills, explore approaches, build the collaborations needed for creating real-world impact, and longer-term engagement with partners and collaborators. 
 
At a glance: 

  • Funding available up to £15,000 per project   
  • Rolling call with no deadline  
  • Project duration can be up to 6 months, and all funds must be spent within the project timelines  
  • Activities must demonstrate a link with underpinning research  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider novel and innovative approaches to participatory methods and knowledge exchange  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider ways in which projects might contribute to the broader culture of engagement and collaboration,  develop researchers’ skills, partnerships, participatory methods, and knowledge exchange approaches. 

 
All AHSS Researchers (post PhD) and UTOs are eligible to apply.
 

Award: Between £10,000–£15,000 to support 3–6 month projects.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application.

UZH Global Funding Scheme 2026

Summary: The UZH Global Funding Scheme supports faculties, departments, and professional service units in developing and implementing joint initiatives with international partners that advance the objectives of the UZH Global Strategy 2030. The scheme harnesses the global networking potential of the UZH community by mobilizing scalable and high-impact bottom-up initiatives from researchers and units across the university, in particular through collaboration with Network and Priority Partners as well as relevant non-academic actors operating at the interface between science, policy, and diplomacy.

Award: There are three funding lines available: (1) Global Outreach Fund: Grant of CHF 5,000 that focuses on enhancing institutional visibility and positioning UZH’s research excellence in solving global challenges in relevant international contexts; (2) Global Seed Fund: Grant of CHF 5,000 that focuses on initiating and strengthening the acquisition of competitive third-party funding by enabling early-stage collaboration and proposal development; (3) Global Champion Fund: Grant of CHF 20,000 to 60,000 that focuses on large scale collaborations with strong institutional buy-in and with the potential for longer term sustainability and global impact.

Funder Deadline: 31 July 2026

Contact: globalengagementoffice@admin.cam.ac.uk

Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund 2026

Summary: The purpose of the Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund is to encourage research, training and engagement activities between Cambridge and Africa. Applicants from Cambridge apply jointly with applicants from universities in Africa and co-create the projects. It is important that the funding is not simply used to provide services that will be carried out at one institution on behalf of the other, and that true collaboration is demonstrated in the application.

An important function of the Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund is to act as a seed fund/catalyst to enable the development of new research activity and further joint funding applications. Priority will be given to applications that build new partnerships (or expand existing ones) with the potential for long-term collaboration. Projects should also ideally strengthen research capacity of the Africa researcher and/or the African research institution/university.

Award: Between £1,000 and £25,000. Particularly note that the ALBORADA Research Fund cannot pay for overheads, PI salaries, administration costs, bench fees or for researchers to attend conferences.

Funder Deadline: 03 September 2026

Contact: alboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk

INT Emergency Bridge & Underwriting

Summary: This funding call is designed to help provide support for emergent needs and opportunities, specifically targeting short periods of emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers at the University of Cambridge. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.
 
This funding scheme should not be used to tide over researchers repeatedly or provide long term funding. Therefore, priority will be given to first time applications. Priority will also be given to applications that support continuous employment at the University of Cambridge after the bridging period.
 
The named applicant should be a PI or independent researcher. Where an established researcher seeks a contribution to their own salary, the applicant should be the Head of institution.
 
It is expected that:

  • Future funding has been applied for or has been secured at the time of application. A clear plan and timescale should be included in the application
  • Salary costs for Early Career Researchers and Postdoctoral Research Associates are prioritised
  • Retaining the named Research Associate, in need of funding, is important to the project or research group. Awarded funding should also benefit the Research Associate’s personal career development
  • The project can be brought to a satisfactory conclusion if the intended further funding is not secured
  • Normally, applications should not be for retrospective funding

 
Please note that the INT does not reconsider unsuccessful applications for the same project unless there has been a substantial material change in circumstances.
 
Award: Up to £30,000 for projects between 3 and 6 months in duration.

Funder Deadline: 24 September 2026, MT deadline; 21 January 2027, LT deadline 

Research Facilitation Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Keynes Fund Call for Projects

Summary: The focus of the teaching and research supported by the Fund is the sources and consequences of failure of market efficiency, particularly but not exclusively as a result of agency costs. In particular, research into: capital market mispricing; the design of incentive systems and mechanisms to reduce the incidence and significance of institutional or general economic failure as well as into responsive public policies.

The scope of work to be funded shall include interactions between the financial markets and the real economy. The Managers of the Fund encourage research based on empirical observation of the behaviour of market participants, drawing as appropriate on relevant work in the other social sciences, biology and history. They shall also encourage academics to extend the frontiers of traditional economics in order to raise Cambridge's profile in the critical area between economic theory, best private sector practice and public policy, with a bias towards promoting long-term thinking, dampened pro-cyclicality, improved economic growth and reduced income/wealth disparities.

The Keynes Fund provides resources to the Cambridge research community for high-quality projects consistent with these themes. The key features on which projects will be assessed are: quality, impact, the prospect of the work facilitating successful, large external grant applications and positive strong externalities for the Cambridge research environment, especially with regard to the promotion of young talent in the Cambridge Ph.D. programme, or among Post-docs.

Award: The Keynes Fund has two funding options:
 
Standard Grant Applications

  • Applications for funds up to £50,000 are classified as standard grants.
  • Proposals for a standard grant, excluding attached CVs, should be no more than 2000 words.
  • Proposers should suggest a minimum of one internal reviewer and two external qualified reviewers and list their suggested reviewers, and their relationships to them, in the email accompanying their application.

Large Grant Applications 

  • Applications for funds in excess of £50,000 are classified as large grants.
  • Proposals for large grants, excluding attached CVs, should be no more than 4000 words.
  • Proposers should suggest a minimum of two internal and three external qualified reviewers and list their suggested reviewers, and their relationships to them, in the email accompanying their application.

Funder Deadline: 25 September 2026

Contact: Marion Reusch, Keynes Fund Administrator, keynes-fund@econ.cam.ac.uk

Global Humanities Mobility Scheme

Summary:The Global Humanities Initiative is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and universities in China (Fudan, Nanjing), India (Ashoka), the Middle East (American University of Beirut), Latin America (Universidad Diego Portales, Chile), West Africa (University of Ghana) and Turkey (Sabanci University). It seeks to advance the Humanities as a common enterprise, incorporating traditional and new ways of scholarship and developing novel ways of teaching and researching.
 
One of our main goals is to foster the mobility of staff between our institutions. To that end we have designed a scheme to provide funding for scholarly exchange between Cambridge and the other network partners that leads to joint teaching ventures (primarily but not exclusively at post-graduate level) and builds the basis for new research initiatives which can lead to larger-scale opportunities/collaborations in the future. Applications are normally considered for stays of between two and four weeks. We particularly welcome applications that enable students and researchers to understand and interrogate new ideas and foster a greater plurality of voices in the scholarly community.
 
Activities supported

  1. Joint teaching ventures (from partial team-teaching to fully co-designed and taught courses)
  2. Joint research collaborations

Award: The scheme will cover the costs of travel, visa, accommodation and subsistence pro rata for between two and four weeks. Together with our partner universities we have worked out appropriate packages for each destination. Detailed budgets are therefore not required. Successful applicants will receive full details when they receive their award. Ineligible costs include: Direct costs of conferences, workshops and seminars; Direct costs of research projects; Salaries or other stipends

Funder Deadline: Deadline for next round will be in September 2026

Contact: Globalhumanities@admin.cam.ac.uk

CRASSH Connections Events

Summary: Do you want to find colleagues working on a related topic, to plan a collaborative grant application or start building an interdisciplinary network? We know that it can be challenging to identify potential collaborators from different departments, and there is often very little time to organise a grant bid between the opening of a funding call and a submission deadline.
 
CRASSH is offering an opportunity to convene a simple event or meeting at short notice, to respond to an upcoming call for grants (internal or external). Connections complements our existing programmes (Events and Initiatives, Research Networks, Research Labs) and could be a useful opportunity to gauge interest in applying for one of these, or for any other funding call, or simply to scope out a possible collaboration.
 
We are imagining informal events, perhaps in a speed-dating format, taking place over a pizza lunch or accompanied by wine and cheese at the end of a working day.
 
Award: If we have the capacity to take on your meeting/event, we will:

  • book a venue for you
  • book catering if required
  • publicise your meeting/event on our website and via CRASSH’s communication channels, to help you reach as many people as possible.

 
Each event has a maximum budget of £250, which may be spent on catering, venue charges, and/or travel. If you have potential collaborators in other locations, it may be possible to book a venue with hybrid facilities and we can provide access to a Zoom account, but you as convenor would be responsible for managing the tech during the event itself.

Funder Deadline: 18 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: events@crassh.cam.ac.uk

CRASSH Events and Initiatives Funding Competition

Summary: CRASSH offers support for a wide range of events, workshops, and creative initiatives. We invite you to apply for funding and logistical support for any activity that will foster the exchange of ideas across disciplines and cultures, forge new collaborations between researchers and other participants, bring academic research to wider publics, or explore the connections between research and artistic practice.
 
Award: Up to £1500 (one-day), £2500 (two-day), £1000 (other initiatives)

Funder Deadline: 18 October 2026
 
Research Facilitation Contact: events@crassh.cam.ac.uk

British Academy Early Career Researcher Network for the East of England
 

[Join the BA ECRN here]

The Early Career Researcher Network is an inclusive, researcher-led membership body accessible to all UK-based early career researchers (ECRs) working in the humanities and social sciences – regardless of their funding source or background.

Objectives of the ECR network

  • Creating an environment where ECRs can strengthen their skills and professional networks to compete effectively in the job market
  • Being responsive to the needs and interests of ECRs, ensuring that these inform our activities and the opportunities we offer
  • Supporting individual ECRs to realise their potential by providing opportunities that they do not currently have access to
  • Contributing to equality of opportunity for ECRs through encouraging diversity and inclusivity
  • Developing networks to nurture and facilitate greater engagement between and across ECRs and the wider research community, regionally and nationally
  • Drawing on the British Academy’s unique ability to convene and nurture intersectoral collaboration to create unique opportunities for ECRs
  • Enabling the British Academy to support a greater number of ECRs in their career ambitions through skills development, networking opportunities, workshops and events

Opportunities for the Arts and Humanities research community to engage with Parliament
 

Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament

Select committees currently accepting written evidence
 
Please click the title of any inquiry listed below to be taken to a summary of that inquiry and the full call for evidence. Remember that you don't have to answer every question posed in each call for evidence.
 
New calls for evidence:

 
All other inquiries currently accepting written evidence:

Workplace Adjustment Survey and Focus Groups
 

05 June to 10 July 2026

The University is launching a Workplace Adjustments Survey alongside a series of focus groups to better understand how workplace adjustments are applied in practice and explore any associated training or support needs.
 
For the purposes of this review, workplace adjustments include both statutory reasonable adjustments and wider needs such as caring responsibilities, faith-based practices, and breastfeeding or expressing.
 
The survey and focus groups are open to all University staff, including workers and those engaged  via third-party contracts. We would particularly like to hear from disabled staff, HR professionals, leaders and managers. Leaders and managers in this case are people who either have a professional management responsibility, budget oversight or both.
 
The focus groups will take place between 5 June - 10 July 2026, with online focus groups specifically for leaders and managers, and both online and in-person focus groups for disabled staff. 
 
This review will be delivered by independent research agency Red Brick Research, with specialist input from the Business Disability Forum to support accessibility.
 
All responses will be treated in strict confidence. Findings will be reported to the University in an anonymised format only. No information will be shared with the University that could identify any individual participant.
 
The approach taken is informed by the social model of disability. Where relevant, some medical terminology may be used where conditions are commonly understood in those terms.
 
The findings from this review will inform future University policies and practices.
 
How to get involved

  • To register interest in the focus groups, complete the short sign-up form administered by Red Brick Research: Focus Group Sign-up Form.
  • To complete the survey, please use the following link: Workplace Adjustments Survey. The survey should take 5-20 minutes, depending on your route through the survey.

 
If you require any support or adjustments to take part in the focus groups or survey, contact Chloe Bethell at Red Brick Research by emailing cbethell@boxdelta.com or calling 07577 479691.

Postdoc Academy Mentoring Scheme
 

12 July 2026

The Postdoc Academy Mentoring Scheme matches postdocs with a mentor from academia or another sector (including industry, start-ups and NGOs) for reflective and developmental career conversations over a six-month period. The next mentoring period runs from 1 September 2026 to 28 February 2027. Postdocs who wish to be mentored in the next round should submit the mentee application form by 12 July.
 
The Postdoc Academy is also seeking new mentors for the scheme. If you would like to be a mentor, please complete the mentor application form. Mentor applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
 
Please send any questions to mentoring.pda@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Future Leaders Fellowship Information Event
 

14 July 2026, 9:30 to 15:00
Online and Grove Purnell Lecture Theatre, University of Swansea
 
Join us for a deep dive into the world of Future Leaders Fellowships (FLFs) with UKRI and learn more about the support for early and mid career researchers from the Learned Society of Wales. This is a chance to explore how to align your research and innovation ambitions with the opportunities presented by the FLF scheme and to learn more about events and opportunities available in Wales.
 
This information session is designed for researchers and institutions preparing applications for the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) scheme. Attendees will hear directly from the UKRI FLF leadership team, current Fellows, and the Future Leaders Fellows Development Network. The programme offers practical guidance, lived experience, and insights into what makes a competitive application. We’ll also explain how the Learned Society for Wales is supporting researchers and how you might get involved.
 
Whether you're planning to apply in Round 11 (Non-academic applicants only), Round 12, interested in building your network in Wales or supporting applicants within your organisation, this event provides clarity, inspiration, and actionable advice.

BA Postdoctoral Fellowship Information Session
 

15 July 2026, 10:00 to 11:30, Online
 
The School Research Facilitation team will hold an online session on the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships. The session will cover information about the scheme and some basic tips for writing a fellowship application. Prospective applicants are encouraged to register for this event. It will take place on Wednesday, 15 July at 10am-11.30am.  Please email ahss-srf-administrator@admin.cam.ac.uk if you have any questions about this event.

 

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

June 2026

 

If you want to discuss funding opportunities or you are working on an application for research funding and would like feedback on a draft, please do contact the School’s Research Facilitators – Anna Cieslik (UK Funding) and Elizabeth Penner (EU/International Funding).  For Impact related queries please contact Lucy Sheerman (Impact Facilitator).

 

You can find more information on the AHSS Research Website, search our External Funding Deadline Calendar and look at Previous Bulletins.  We are also now on Twitter! Follow us for updates on funding calls and information sessions.

 

UK Research Council Funding

 

EU Funding

 

Charity Funding

 

Internal Funding

 

Training / Other

AHRC Curiosity Award

Summary: Curiosity awards support early-stage ambitious and novel fundamental research which has the potential to act as a springboard towards new and exciting research agendas.

The funding opportunity celebrates the full diversity of the arts and humanities. It is flexible, and applications are welcomed from teams, networks, and solo researchers.

The funding opportunity is intentionally flexible. An indicative list of examples of the activities we will fund are provided as follows. You are encouraged to request and justify costs for activities that best meet the aims of your project. This may include:

  • idea generation
  • seed corn funding
  • high risk and high potential concepts
  • novel research
  • networking activity
  • partnership building
  • knowledge exchange
  • public engagement
  • international collaboration
  • scoping and piloting, for example, early-stage proof of concept for ideas or change of direction
  • pivots in research focus at any career stage
  • mentoring for members of the research team

To note, this is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list.

Award: Up to £100,000 full economic cost (FEC) and AHRC will fund 80% of this. Funding is available for projects up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC Catalyst Award

Summary: Catalyst awards support researchers without prior experience of leading a significant research project to accelerate their trajectory as independent researchers, unlocking their potential and building leadership and convenor experience through the delivery of ambitious or complex projects.

The scheme takes a people-centred approach with funding available to support the development of researchers and their research ideas. It is flexible, and applications are welcomed from teams, networks and solo researchers.

Development is at the core of this scheme. Projects must clearly articulate how the funding will contribute to the development of all those involved through the way that the project has been designed and will be managed, with appropriate support structures in place.

Award: Up to £300,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC Standard Grant

Summary: Projects should aim to:

  • enable arts and humanities researchers to establish or enhance effective working relationships with fellow researchers (both within and beyond the arts and humanities, and within and beyond the UK), as well as practitioners, and the wide range of individuals and organisations who may benefit from their research
  • provide opportunities for less experienced researchers to develop their expertise and their careers by working collaboratively with senior researchers on well-defined projects and by leading projects themselves
  • maximise the value of research outcomes by promoting their communication and dissemination with individuals and organisations outside academia and, where appropriate, to facilitate the knowledge transfer of those outcomes to both the research community and other contexts where they will make a difference

We’re looking for researchers with applications for well-defined collaborative research projects. However, you may include elements of individual research if you can show how this will add value.

Collaborations can involve:

  • a single institution or a combination of institutions
  • researchers working in different research areas
  • disciplines within the arts and humanities, or between an arts and humanities discipline and another subject area. In such collaborations the arts and humanities element of the project should lead in shaping the research questions, methods and so on
  • researchers working in other sectors
  • researchers based abroad

The proposed collaboration should be appropriate for the specific needs of the research project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1.5 million. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept

Summary: Your proposed activities should galvanise arts and humanities research previously funded by AHRC or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to deliver meaningful real-world change through significant economic, social, cultural, or policy impact.

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept funding opportunity aims to:

  • facilitate ambitious arts and humanities projects to realise measurable, real-world change
  • provide flexible support for innovative pathways to impact, whether projects are pivoting to new contexts and collaborations, amplifying existing impact activity or at the early stage of developing commercialisation outcomes
  • sustain and maximise excellent models of co-design, co-development and partnership working to deliver tangible outputs that demonstrate the transformational benefits of arts and humanities research
  • encourage and enable a range of pathways to impact between arts and humanities research and a variety of user communities, including business, third sector and heritage sector, public policy, voluntary and community groups, or the general public
  • celebrate and support meaningful arts and humanities contributions to economic growth and government priorities.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £150,000, with AHRC funding 80% of the FEC. Costs associated with project co-lead internationals (PcL (I)) will be funded at 100% FEC but must not exceed 30% of the total FEC of the project. However, this funding cap does not apply to any PcL(I) based in a country on the OECD DAC list (excepting India and China). PcL(I)s from a country on the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) DAC (Development Assistance Committee) list (excepting India and China) are also eligible to claim overheads support.

Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration, offering flexibility to suit the scale of your project.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC Standard Grant

Summary: This flexible opportunity funds basic, applied and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics within ESRC’s remit. Ambitious and novel proposals addressing new concepts and techniques are encouraged, as are those with the potential for significant scientific or societal and economic impact.

There are no thematic or methodological priorities; we will fund the highest quality proposals received, regardless of focus or approach.

Proposals can draw from the wider sciences, as long as the social sciences are more than 50% of the focus and effort. ESRC will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council. 

Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million. ESRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration, offering flexibility to suit the scale of your project.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC Responsive Mode: Working with Luxembourg Researchers

Summary: You can submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the social sciences within the remit of ESRC and FNR.

UK and Luxembourg applicants should ensure that their joint applications are well balanced, with clear roles and objectives attributed to both sides of the collaboration. Within the joint applications, the UK collaborator should be the lead applicant contributing with a slightly higher research effort.

We will fund basic, applied and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics within ESRC’s remit. Ambitious and novel proposals addressing new concepts and techniques are encouraged, as are those with the potential for significant scientific or societal and economic impact. There are no thematic or methodological priorities; we will fund the highest quality proposals received, regardless of focus or approach.

Proposals can draw from the wider sciences, as long as the social sciences are more than 50% of the focus and effort. We will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council.

Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC. FNR will pay all justified costs for Luxembourg submitted through their system. Funding for projects can be up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC Responsive Mode: Secondary Data Analysis

Summary: This funding opportunity supports research that exploits existing data resources for social and economic research. Applicants have considerable flexibility to focus on any subject area or topic providing that it falls within ESRC’s remit. Proposed research is not required to use ESRC-funded data resources, though this is encouraged.

This funding opportunity also aims to develop the capacity and skills of social sciences communities in using large and complex existing data resources. We encourage partnerships with non-academic stakeholders to ensure generation of high-impact, policy and practitioner-relevant research.

Proposals can draw from the wider sciences, but the social sciences must represent more than 50% of the research focus and effort. We will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council.

Ambitious and novel research proposals addressing new concepts and techniques are encouraged, as are those with the potential for significant scientific or societal and economic impact. Fresh ideas from new researchers are also encouraged, and proposals are welcomed from early career researchers.

Award: The FEC of your project can be up to £300,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC. The duration of this award is up to two years (24 months).

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Gambling harms research grants

Summary: This opportunity aims to deliver high-quality research projects and build capacity in the research ecosystem. UKRI welcomes applications addressing any question or challenge that deepens understanding or supports solutions for the prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms.

This opportunity is open to the research and innovation communities across all UKRI research councils, and interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approaches are encouraged.

Interdisciplinary research combines distinct components of two or more disciplines through the integration of separate disciplinary data, methods, tools, concepts or theories in order to address a complex issue, question, or problem. Interdisciplinary projects will be co-created or co-designed with input from all disciplines involved and the disciplines genuinely integrated with each discipline gaining something significant by being part of the project.

Multidisciplinary research involves different disciplines working towards the same challenge. The work packages do not require integration and remain largely separate and independent of each other, with the outputs of each combining to address the research challenge.

Whether your project uses an interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary or single discipline approach, you should clearly articulate throughout your application how the challenge can only be address through your chosen approach. You should include the appropriate measures for team management and project governance to ensure a successful outcome.

Award: The FEC of your project can be up to £2,000,000. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. The duration of this award is three years. Awards are expected to be offered in July 2027. A period of up to six months from the date of the award letter to the commencement of grant activity is permitted, as per standard UKRI terms and conditions.

Funder Deadline: 17 July 2026, expression of interest deadline. 08 December 2026, full application deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Video games and gambling-related harms

Summary: With widespread engagement across demographics, video games have become increasingly embedded in UK economy, culture and society. Over half of UK adults play video games (53%). This figure is higher among children and younger people, with nine in ten children aged 3 to 17 (89%) and young people aged 16 to 24 (85%) playing video games.

In recent years, a variety of practices have emerged at the intersection of video games and gambling, increasingly blurring the lines between the two and challenging traditional definitions. These include a wide spectrum of activities, such as esports betting, skins betting, loot boxes, social casino games and other simulated gambling products.

This opportunity will support research that investigates the relationship between gambling and video games. This can encompass both regulated gambling that is adjacent to video games, for example esports betting, and unregulated gambling-like activities in video games, for example social casinos and loot boxes. We are particularly interested to support research that explores:

  • existing and emerging gambling and gambling-like phenomena in video games. This includes how different video games formats, platforms and technologies may intersect with gambling in distinct ways, with an eye to the potential need for different prevention and treatment strategies
  • regulatory frameworks, both national and international, governing these phenomena. This includes evaluating the effectiveness of differing regulatory regimes and policy decisions, identifying grey areas, regulatory gaps and potential loopholes. It also includes proposing evidence-based recommendations to prevent or mitigate harms, promote player wellbeing and foster safe and responsible video games
  • commercial determinants of health. This includes how market practices, design and monetisation approaches, and governance arrangements across relevant sectors may contribute to or mitigate gambling-related harms
  • user engagement patterns, including how individuals interact with these phenomena, the platforms and channels through which they are accessed, and the role of advertising and promotion
  • cross-sectoral connections, examining how gambling and gambling-like features in video games relate to other industries, and the regulatory environments within those sectors
  • public attitudes towards the gamification of gambling and the incorporation of gambling-like features into video games. This includes the development of tools, resources and interventions aimed at enhancing public engagement, raising awareness and promoting positive behaviour change
  • what works in terms of treating, preventing or reducing gambling-related harms associated with video games, including through game design and regulation

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £1,000,000. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. Projects can last up to 36 months.

Funder Deadline: 23 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC React Awards (pilot): outline

Summary: React awards enable time-critical research to support policymakers and practitioners delivering frontline public services in the UK. Researchers must work with public sector partners to respond to emerging and urgent evidence needs and deliver impactful outputs within six months.

To facilitate this, the pilot will be open to applications on a responsive basis and use a streamlined decision process, allowing proposals to be assessed, funded and start delivering within weeks. Successful projects will be expected to start within a month of funding confirmation.

A central objective of this opportunity is to allow researchers to support urgent policymaker or practitioner evidence needs in the UK. Therefore, applications will be required to include at least one collaborating partner from the UK public sector who needs and is able to action the planned project outputs within six months of them being produced. Partnerships must be confirmed at the time of application, fully aligned in terms of activity objectives, and able to begin the collaboration immediately from the start of an award.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months. Projects must start within one month of funding confirmation. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £100,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 08 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

2026-27 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

With the publication of the 2026-27 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read. This PDF [here] also outlines specific opportunities for AHSS researchers.

The European Commission adopted the main Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027, a €14 billion investment designed to drive research and innovation (R&I) across the EU's strategic goals. These goals include achieving climate neutrality, boosting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and innovation, and ensuring resilience in a rapidly changing world.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding).

 

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

You can sign up for our free daily EU grants and funding newsletter (English) by filling out this form. A digest of upcoming funding opportunities will arrive directly to your mailbox. If you would like to access all funding opportunities on our portal, you need to subscribe to the membership.

 

NEWS: ERC Scientific Council readjusts rules for reapplication

The ERC Scientific Council has listened to the concerns from members of the research community about the recent announcement on changes to the re-submission rules. The changes, intended to manage the surge in demand for ERC grants, pertain to calls for proposals in the 2027 ERC Work Programme. The Scientific Council has decided to readjust some of the announced changes. Read their response to the community.

 

RESOURCE: Horizon Europe National Contact Points Portal

The network of National Contact Points (NCPs) is the main structure to provide guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe. NCPs are also established in many non-EU and non-associated countries ("third countries").

The Lego Foundation Fellowship

Summary: A global research fellowship for early- and mid-career researchers whose work can strengthen understanding of how children thrive across diverse contexts.

The fellowship provides flexible support over a three-year period for researchers pursuing ambitious, rigorous, and practically relevant work. We are looking for fellows with strong research potential, clear ideas for the next phase of their work, and a commitment to building evidence that can inform action for children.

We welcome applications from researchers across disciplines, methods, and geographies. Relevant fields may include, but are not limited to, education, psychology, child development, public health, economics, sociology, neuroscience, data science, humanitarian studies, disability studies, human-computer interaction, and implementation science.

Award: Flexible research funding of USD 300,000 over three years, inclusive of 15% indirect costs. Support for eligible research costs, including research personnel, professional travel, equipment, dissemination, trainee support, and related project costs.

Funder Deadline: 31 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner and legofellowship@ssrc.org

ERC Advanced Grant

Summary:The ERC Advanced Grant is for established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements in the last 10 years. PIs should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions.

Award: € 2.5 million for a period of 5 years. An additional € 1 million can be requested to cover start-up costs, the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities. 

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Plus Grant

Summary: The ERC Plus Grant supports outstanding principal investigators who address major scientific challenges. Applications for ERC Plus Grants should be for projects that could not be carried out with a regular ERC grant. Applicants should explain how the proposed project goes beyond the scope of a regular ERC project, for example because it aims to transform the field or open new avenues of research. 

Scholars at all career stages can apply for an ERC Plus Grant if they have an outstanding record of scientific achievement at the forefront of their field. Their intellectual leadership will be evaluated in accordance with their career stage. A researcher will be allowed to hold only one ERC Plus Grant in their lifetime. 

Applications can be made in any field of research. The ERC's grants operate on a 'bottom-up' basis without predetermined priorities. 

Award: Up to €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding for projects a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) and with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. 

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship

Summary: The objective of PFs is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

European Postdoctoral Fellowships. They are open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. They fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

Both types of fellowships may also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except during the return phase of a Global Fellowship).

In an effort to build bridges between the academic and non-academic sector, researchers can receive additional support to carry out a placement of up to 6 months in a non-academic organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement needs to take place at the end of their fellowship.

Award: Up to €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding for projects a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) and with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. 

Funder Deadline: 09 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Proof of Concept

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

Proof of Concept Grants aim at maximising the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.

Award: A lump sum of € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Synergy Grant

Summary: The aim of the Synergy Grant is to support a small group (hereafter, the Synergy Grant Group) of two to four innovative and active Principal Investigators jointly addressing ambitious research problems that cannot be tackled by any single Principal Investigator and their team alone. Principal Investigators of any professional seniority, and with a competitive track record matching their career stage can apply. One of the Principal Investigators (except the Corresponding Principal Investigator) of the Synergy Grant Group may be hosted and engaged by an institution outside of the EU or an Associated Country.

Award: Up to a maximum of € 10 million for a period of 6 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). An additional € 4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Funder Deadline: TBC, February 2027

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Santander Scholarship University Staff Development Grants 2026

Summary: Apply to support your professional development - open to all UK university staff, any role or function. Use the funding flexibly for training, conferences, professional accreditation or membership, and related travel. Use the grant to build skills, reskill and progress your career.

Award: Up to £500

Funder Deadline: 02 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: santander.universities@santander.co.uk

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 21 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
.
Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 28 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorships

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area of research, within the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

Award: A minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000. 

Funder Deadline: 01 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Thematic Research Lead Fellowships, 2027-2029


Summary: Thematic Research Leads (TRLs) join us in parliament three days per week, for a two-year term, while retaining their substantive post for their remaining hours each week. TRLs work strategically to increase engagement with, provide access to, and enhance the effective use of research within parliament. TRLs have deep thematic expertise, which they mobilise to provide information and advice across a broad policy area and to create meaningful knowledge exchange, serving the parliamentary community’s evidence needs. The UK Parliament is recruiting to seven TRL portfolios:

The Knowledge Exchange Unit is hosting an online information session that will be valuable for potential TRL applicants, and for knowledge mobilisers who wish to support or encourage researchers to apply. It will also be useful for senior colleagues who want to understand more on the value, benefits, and prestige the role brings to their institution when they endorse the application of a staff member. 

In the session, we will: 

  • Explain how TRLs enhance the use of research evidence in UK Parliament, and the key teams they work with. 
  • Hear from current TRLs about their experiences, including what the role involves in practice and how it has shaped their careers. 
  • Share insight from UKRI into the strategic importance of the TRL programme, why it’s a key investment, and its significance within the wider research and policy landscape. 
  • Provide top tips for applying, including the skills and experience we’re looking for. 
  • Answer your questions about the role and the recruitment process. 

Register to attend the information session here, which will be held Thursday 18 June 13.00 to 14.30, Online.

Award: Each post is for a 24 month period at 0.6 FTE, beginning 1 April 2027 and ending 31 March 2029. UKRI will meet 80% of the full economic costs and the host institution is expected to support the remaining 20%. If invited to assessment and interview, applicants will be required to provide indicative costing for: their salary and FTE related costs, as well as travel and subsistence to allow for three days per month in Westminster. For non-clinical applicants, we expect the estimated 100% FEC not to exceed £240,000. UK Parliament will contribute in-kind funding, including supervision, professional development opportunities, workspace and IT equipment.

Funder Deadline: 09 August 2026


Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Italy Made Me 2026 Call for Applications

Summary: The Embassy of Italy in London invites candidates to apply for the Italy Made Me Awards for research 2026. The initiative, patronised and coordinated by the Embassy, is run in collaboration with the Association of Italian Scientists in the United Kingdom (AISUK) and the support of other Italian and British organisations. 

The prizes are awarded to Italian early-career researchers working in the UK who completed at least part of their training in Italy. They recognise achievements in the following fields, as defined by the European Research Council (ERC): 

  • Life Sciences (LS); 
  • Physical and Engineering Sciences (PE); 
  • Social Sciences and Humanities (SH).

Award: The prizes consist of money, provided by generous sponsors of the initiative, and will be assigned by the end of 2026. On the occasion of a ceremony that will be held at the Embassy, the Italian Ambassador will award also an official certificate.

Funder Deadline: 15 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: For further information, contact: londra.scienza@esteri.it.

Restricted Call: NIHR Research Professorships Cohort 17

Summary: The Research Strategy Office has invited nominations for the NIHR Research Professorships. This is a restricted call, with nominations being submitted to the RSO by the School. If you have identified researchers at your Faculty/Department who would like to be nominated, please send the form [link here] and an HoD Letter of Support to Anna Cieslik (amc238@Cam.ac.uk) by 1 September 2026. Please see below for more information about the call.
 
Restricted Call: NIHR Research Professorships Cohort 17
It is expected that the NIHR will issue the call for Research Professorships Cohort 17 in September 2026. This scheme is aimed at health, public health, and adult social care researchers, as well as methodologists with an outstanding research record of clinical and applied health/care research and its effective translation for improved health and care. The priority of the scheme is promoting the effective translation of research into practice.
 
Candidate and Research Eligibility

  • Career Trajectory: Candidates must demonstrate a steep career trajectory over the last 5–10 years.
  • Seniority Rule: Applicants must have spent no more than 5 years at their current level of seniority (Professor, Reader, or equivalent) at the time of application.
  • Target Profile: Candidates should not be established leaders yet, but rather on an upward trajectory to become leaders by the end of the award.
  • Research Areas: Work must be in experimental medicine, public health, health services research, social care, or methodology.
  • Partnerships: Nominations are only eligible where the University is working in partnership with the NHS, or organisations/commissioners/providers of public health/care services based in England.

 
Key Institutional Expectations

  • Salary Recycling: The NIHR funds the basic salary of the Professor. The University is required to recycle the released salary costs to reinvest in building research capacity (e.g., hiring new staff or supporting ECRs).
  • Sustainability: The University must commit to supporting the individual beyond the lifetime of the award, including a long-term employment plan and a permanent professorial post.
  • Infrastructure: Guaranteed access to administrative support, research facilities, and leadership development is mandatory.

 
University Internal Selection
NIHR restricts the number of nominations a Higher Education Institution (HEI) can submit. For Cohort 17, the University may submit a maximum of 3 nominations, subject to the following diversity criteria:

  • If 1 nomination is made: Applicants can be male or female.
  • If 2 nominations are made: At least one applicant must be female.
  • If 3 nominations are made: At least one applicant must be female AND at least one applicant must be from an ethnic minority group.

Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure.

Award: Each award consists of a five-year package (up to £2M) to support a professorship, including support posts, research running costs, a travel fund, and a leadership and development programme..

Funder Deadline: 01 September 2026, SHSS internal deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Nuffield Foundation Racial Diversity UK Fund

Summary: Researchers, academics, charities and other organisations working on racial diversity, inequality and inclusion can now apply for grants for research projects through the Nuffield Foundation’s Racial Diversity UK (RDUK) fund. This year our theme is Inter-generational changes, continuities and challenges in a racially diverse UK. We are interested in the opportunities and challenges of the UK’s racially diverse future, how these change over generations, and how they are shaped by legacies of the UK’s colonial past. 

Background and scope
The UK’s racial composition has changed considerably since the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948, marking the beginning of the post-war settlement of citizens from Britain’s former colonies. Today, the UK’s growing racial diversity and continuing racial disparities bring both opportunities and challenges. 

There is a substantial body of research evidencing racial inequalities in most areas of UK life; from health to housing, education to employment, crime and policing to criminal justice. There is less evidence for why some of the UK’s differential racial outcomes persist while other disparities have closed. Nor is there much evidence about what works to end racial disparities, nor of when, how or if policy and programme interventions are effective in achieving this, and little research has focused on the wider benefits and opportunities that racial diversity can bring. 

This programme is funded by an endowment that supports work relating to the Commonwealth. As such, our interest is in the future of UK society as shaped by its colonial past, specifically by the migration of people from former British colonies to the UK. This migration and the accompanying dynamics of racialisation, resources and power have produced the UK’s distinct racial diversity and its patterns of racial discrimination and inequality. Within this context we take a broad view of racial diversity as covering all racial or ethnic groups living in the UK, including White populations.  

Award: Up to £500,000

Funder Deadline: 05 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Research Centre

Summary: The Trust invites applications for Leverhulme Research Centres that will not only conduct research of outstanding originality but also aspire to achieve a significant step-change in scholarship. The Trust aims to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic. Applicants are, therefore, invited to be bold in compiling their bids. The centres should have the capacity to become recognised internationally for excellence in their chosen area. 

The Trust has a reputation for encouraging higher-risk research, which is therefore often fundamental or curiosity-driven – so-called ‘blue skies’ – and multi-disciplinary. The expectation is that centres will draw upon a range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise, perhaps bringing new disciplinary mixes to bear on a particular topic. 

Award: Up to £10 million is available for up 10 years.

Funder Deadline: February 2027. This will be a restricted call.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and the Research Strategy Office.

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Impact Starter Fund Call 2025-2026

Summary: The Impact Starter Fund sits within the schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities wider AHSS impact hub, providing a supportive space for researchers to explore early-stage impact and knowledge exchange ideas. As the first step to achieving impact, it helps researchers develop skills, explore approaches, build the collaborations needed for creating real-world impact, and longer-term engagement with partners and collaborators. 
 
At a glance: 

  • Funding available up to £15,000 per project   
  • Rolling call with no deadline  
  • Project duration can be up to 6 months, and all funds must be spent within the project timelines  
  • Activities must demonstrate a link with underpinning research  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider novel and innovative approaches to participatory methods and knowledge exchange  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider ways in which projects might contribute to the broader culture of engagement and collaboration,  develop researchers’ skills, partnerships, participatory methods, and knowledge exchange approaches. 

 
All AHSS Researchers (post PhD) and UTOs are eligible to apply.
 

Award: Between £10,000–£15,000 to support 3–6 month projects.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application.

Policy Innovation Fund 2026

Summary: The Centre for Science and Policy, in collaboration with the University’s Research Strategy Office, is now inviting applications for the next round of the Policy Innovation Fund (PIF). The fund supports Cambridge researchers to work collaboratively with policy partners to design and deliver innovative policy engagement activities.

Award: This year, PIF introduces two funding routes to support projects at different stages:

  • PIF Micro Grants (up to £2,000) support early stage and exploratory policy engagement, from testing initial ideas to building relationships with policy stakeholders.
  • PIF Full Grants (up to £10,000) support more developed policy engagement projects, including piloting or demonstrating policy ideas, participatory research and multi stakeholder engagement.

All academics and researchers employed by the collegiate University are eligible to apply to PIF. PhD students can also apply, with necessary approvals from their academic supervisors. Project duration can be up to 9 months.

Funder Deadline: 30 June 2026

Contact: pif@csap.cam.ac.uk

UZH Global Funding Scheme 2026

Summary: The UZH Global Funding Scheme supports faculties, departments, and professional service units in developing and implementing joint initiatives with international partners that advance the objectives of the UZH Global Strategy 2030. The scheme harnesses the global networking potential of the UZH community by mobilizing scalable and high-impact bottom-up initiatives from researchers and units across the university, in particular through collaboration with Network and Priority Partners as well as relevant non-academic actors operating at the interface between science, policy, and diplomacy.

Award: There are three funding lines available: (1) Global Outreach Fund: Grant of CHF 5,000 that focuses on enhancing institutional visibility and positioning UZH’s research excellence in solving global challenges in relevant international contexts; (2) Global Seed Fund: Grant of CHF 5,000 that focuses on initiating and strengthening the acquisition of competitive third-party funding by enabling early-stage collaboration and proposal development; (3) Global Champion Fund: Grant of CHF 20,000 to 60,000 that focuses on large scale collaborations with strong institutional buy-in and with the potential for longer term sustainability and global impact.

Funder Deadline: 31 July 2026

Contact: globalengagementoffice@admin.cam.ac.uk

Keynes Fund Call for Projects

Summary: The focus of the teaching and research supported by the Fund is the sources and consequences of failure of market efficiency, particularly but not exclusively as a result of agency costs. In particular, research into: capital market mispricing; the design of incentive systems and mechanisms to reduce the incidence and significance of institutional or general economic failure as well as into responsive public policies.

The scope of work to be funded shall include interactions between the financial markets and the real economy. The Managers of the Fund encourage research based on empirical observation of the behaviour of market participants, drawing as appropriate on relevant work in the other social sciences, biology and history. They shall also encourage academics to extend the frontiers of traditional economics in order to raise Cambridge's profile in the critical area between economic theory, best private sector practice and public policy, with a bias towards promoting long-term thinking, dampened pro-cyclicality, improved economic growth and reduced income/wealth disparities.

The Keynes Fund provides resources to the Cambridge research community for high-quality projects consistent with these themes. The key features on which projects will be assessed are: quality, impact, the prospect of the work facilitating successful, large external grant applications and positive strong externalities for the Cambridge research environment, especially with regard to the promotion of young talent in the Cambridge Ph.D. programme, or among Post-docs.

Award: The Keynes Fund has two funding options:
 
Standard Grant Applications

  • Applications for funds up to £50,000 are classified as standard grants.
  • Proposals for a standard grant, excluding attached CVs, should be no more than 2000 words.
  • Proposers should suggest a minimum of one internal reviewer and two external qualified reviewers and list their suggested reviewers, and their relationships to them, in the email accompanying their application.

Large Grant Applications 

  • Applications for funds in excess of £50,000 are classified as large grants.
  • Proposals for large grants, excluding attached CVs, should be no more than 4000 words.
  • Proposers should suggest a minimum of two internal and three external qualified reviewers and list their suggested reviewers, and their relationships to them, in the email accompanying their application.

Funder Deadline: 25 September 2026

Contact: Marion Reusch, Keynes Fund Administrator, keynes-fund@econ.cam.ac.uk

Global Humanities Mobility Scheme

Summary:The Global Humanities Initiative is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and universities in China (Fudan, Nanjing), India (Ashoka), the Middle East (American University of Beirut), Latin America (Universidad Diego Portales, Chile), West Africa (University of Ghana) and Turkey (Sabanci University). It seeks to advance the Humanities as a common enterprise, incorporating traditional and new ways of scholarship and developing novel ways of teaching and researching.
 
One of our main goals is to foster the mobility of staff between our institutions. To that end we have designed a scheme to provide funding for scholarly exchange between Cambridge and the other network partners that leads to joint teaching ventures (primarily but not exclusively at post-graduate level) and builds the basis for new research initiatives which can lead to larger-scale opportunities/collaborations in the future. Applications are normally considered for stays of between two and four weeks. We particularly welcome applications that enable students and researchers to understand and interrogate new ideas and foster a greater plurality of voices in the scholarly community.
 
Activities supported

  1. Joint teaching ventures (from partial team-teaching to fully co-designed and taught courses)
  2. Joint research collaborations

Award: The scheme will cover the costs of travel, visa, accommodation and subsistence pro rata for between two and four weeks. Together with our partner universities we have worked out appropriate packages for each destination. Detailed budgets are therefore not required. Successful applicants will receive full details when they receive their award. Ineligible costs include: Direct costs of conferences, workshops and seminars; Direct costs of research projects; Salaries or other stipends

Funder Deadline: Deadline for next round will be in September 2026

Contact: Globalhumanities@admin.cam.ac.uk

EDI and Environmental Sustainability resources for research grant applicants

The Research Funding Development Team (Research Office) has created two new resources to support research grant applicants with their proposals: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Environmental Sustainability in Research and Innovation.  

  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: this resource is a starting point to explore institutional and national contexts and includes reflective questions which consider EDI matters arising from different aspects of research. 
  • Environmental Sustainability:  this resource outlines the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, and offers guidance, reflective questions, tools, frameworks and links to other resources. It is aimed at helping researchers and professional services staff integrate sustainable research practices from the early stages of proposal planning. 

These two documents can be found on the Research Office website in the Resource library alongside other topics including Research Culture.   
You can access these resources independently or contact researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk for further support.

Call for experts to register in the European Commission's experts database

The European Research Executive Agency (REA) invites experts from a wide range of fields to register in the European Commission’s experts database.
 
From this database, we select candidates with the most suitable profile to evaluate proposals for funding and monitor the implementation of ongoing funded projects under the following programmes:

  • Horizon Europe
  • Promotion of Agricultural Products
  • Research Fund for Coal and Steel

The European Commission selects the most suitable candidates for each evaluation. If selected, you will be contracted for short-term assignments lasting from two days up to two weeks (in some cases, up to 30 days). The working days are not always consecutive and can be spread out over several months.
 
Thematic expertise
The European Commission is looking for experts with extensive experience in at least one of the following areas.
 
Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Cultural heritage (e.g. curation, restoration, conservation, 3D reconstruction, digital humanities)
  • Creative industries, collective memory, cultural tourism
  • Archaeology, artefacts, museology
  • Citizen science, citizen participation, youth participation
  • Social innovation (e.g. educational strategies, open innovation, knowledge transfer, commercial take-up)
  • Communication and marketing (general)
  • Communication and marketing of agricultural products (e.g. promotional strategies, market research, public relations, advertising)
  • International cooperation (e.g. globalisation, diplomacy, global governance, international relations)
  • Fight against disinformation/misinformation, press freedom, media studies
  • Radicalisation (e.g. terrorism, extremism, hate crimes, homophobia)
  • Migration and integration (e.g. human rights, conflict resolution/management, peacebuilding)
  • European identity, European studies, political science, political philosophy
  • Democratisation, solidarity, polarisation, elections, populism, corruption
  • Social inclusion, labour market, robotisation, ageing, lifelong learning, econometrics
  • Sociological dimensions of technological and policy developments, including ethical, gender, cultural, governance aspects
  • Open science (e.g. open data, open source, interdisciplinary research)
  • Digital literacy (e.g. digital services, digital transformation, digital governance, digital democracy, user-centric services)

 
Environmental Science and Natural Resources

  • Forestry, wildfire prevention, forest management and ecosystems
  • Drivers and indicators of soil health and land degradation
  • Co-creation of public and private solutions for soil health protection and restoration
  • Relationship between safe food systems and soil health
  • Remote sensing, spatial planning, ocean observation/monitoring/modelling, maritime spatial planning
  • Biodiversity, ecosystems
  • Nature-based solutions
  • Pollution (e.g. zero pollution, pollution removal, carbon cycle, water security)
  • Seismology

 
Circular Economy and Sustainability

  • Sustainable agriculture, aquaculture, and food systems
  • Climate-smart farms and forests, climate resilience
  • Digitalisation in farming (e.g. precision agriculture, remote sensing/GIS for sustainable farms, fisheries, food supply chains)
  • Innovative finance options for soil health, sustainable land use, and new value chains/products
  • Lifecycle assessment and analysis
  • Circular economy, food waste, sustainable packaging, value chains

 
Policy, Governance and Ethics

  • Law enforcement (e.g. border security, crime)
  • Civil protection
  • e-Government, open government
  • Ethical dimension of scientific research

 
Technology and Engineering

  • Earth observation and digital technologies (AI, IoT)
  • Cybersecurity, sensors, UAVs/drones
  • Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials
  • Blockchain, cloud computing, big data, data interoperability, data mining, data visualisation, digital twins, 3D printing, 3D modelling
  • Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, deep learning, augmented reality, virtual reality
  • Nanotechnologies
  • Electric propulsion and electric vehicle batteries
  • Physics

SMART3TS: Staff Exchange Programme

 

SMAR3TS is a large, EU-funded consortium on resilience, restoration, and regeneration across domains, such as nutrition, mobility, energy, and housing.  
 

  • Do you want to go abroad for research? ​Select a theme from the I3X challenges, select and contact a partner across the global partner network, receive 2710Euros/month to support your travel and accommodation
  • Do you want to host visiting colleagues from the consortium in Cambridge to work collaboratively on research? Develop an I3X in alignment with IfM Engage
  • Do you want to support seminars, research initiatives, and ongoing collaborative projects aligned with the project aims? SMAR3TS might be able to help.
  • Want to know more? See attached slides, watch this video, visit the website and FAQ
     
    Are you interested? Get in touch with Dr Letizia Mortara (lm367@cam.ac.uk) 

Opportunities for the Arts and Humanities research community to engage with Parliament


Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament

Fiscal devolution in England
NEW OPPORTUNITY: The Economic Affairs Committee is launching an inquiry into fiscal devolution in England. The inquiry will consider what form fiscal devolution might take, its distributional consequences, and what governance arrangements might be needed as more powers are devolved to local areas. The committee has issued a call for written evidence and will be taking oral evidence from May 2025.

Deadline to submit evidence: 05 June 2026
Relevant disciplines: Archaeology, Architecture and Design, Creative Industries, Culture and Museum Studies, Development Studies and Area Studies, Drama and Theatre Studies, Geography, Heritage Studies, History, Law, Music, Philosophy, Political Theory, Visual Arts


Financial sustainability of the British Council
NEW OPPORTUNITY: The British Council is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Founded 90 years ago, the Council has a well-established history in promoting UK culture, education and the English language across the globe.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the British Council saw a steep fall in its revenues as it was forced to suspend many of its income-generating activities, such as English language teaching. In response, the FCDO provided the British Council with a loan, of which around £197m remains outstanding. The current loan term comes to an end in September 2026; however, the Council has indicated it is unlikely to be able to pay back the remaining balance under the current arrangements.

The National Audit Office (NAO) will publish the findings of its investigation into the financial sustainability of the British Council in summer 2026.

The investigation is likely to examine the current financial position of the British Council and its relationship with the FCDO. Following the publication, the PAC will hear from senior officials at the FCDO and the British Council to discuss the reports key findings.

Deadline to submit evidence: 05 June 2026
Relevant disciplines: Culture and Museum Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Education, Language and Literature


HMRC's anti-fraud intervention on child benefit
NEW OPPORTUNITY: In 2024-25, material levels of fraud and error in child benefit stood at £270m. HM Revenue & Customs launched a new intervention in 2025 to tackle fraud and error in child benefit cases, which aimed to save c.£350m over five years. HMRC used Home Office flight data to identify suspicious cases where the child or family might no longer be resident in the UK. Initially, this meant that HMRC suspended payments of Child Benefit immediately for identified cases, without notifying people first. As of January 2026, HMRC reports that it had reinstated payments for over 70% of initial cases, and has modified its approach.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has a long-standing interest in how government tackles error and fraud. The PAC found in 2023 that large gaps remained in government’s understanding of its exposure to the risks of fraud and corruption against it. The Treasury Select Committee (TSC) looked at HMRC’s intervention in this area in November 2025, criticising the tax authority’s approach as cavalier. The TSC found that HMRC removed employment checks when expanding the use of flight data to detect child benefit fraud, after which 23,794 claimants had their payments suspended.

The National Audit Office (NAO) publishes its independent assessment into HMRC’s child benefit fraud-and-error intervention in summer 2026.

Proceeding from the NAO’s investigation, which will examine the intervention in detail and what lessons have been learned from it, the PAC will hear from witnesses including senior HMRC officials as it examines how the risks and complexities associated with trialling new methods of tackling fraud and error can be managed by government.

Deadline to submit evidence: 03 July 2026  


Electronic Voting
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Electronic Voting. The Procedure Committee is interested in the potential merits and pitfalls of introducing electronic voting arrangements for divisions (votes) in the House of Commons. They are interested in:

  • lessons from similar temporary arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as impacts on other procedures of the House. Political and constitutional historians may have useful insight;
  • the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics, and the general impact of electronic voting on other procedures of the House. Lawyers and constitutional legal scholars may have useful insight;
  • potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Philosophers working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight;
  • potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Political theorists working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight.

No deadline to submit evidence.

Relevant disciplines: History, Law, Philosophy, Political Theory

ERC Plus Grants Webinar


02 June 2026, 15:00 to 16:30
Online, no registration required

The call for the new ERC Plus Grants will open on June 2, and this second webinar will provide further guidance and address outstanding points.

Join ERC President Maria Leptin and Philippe Cupers, Head of the Scientific Management Department, for an overview of the scheme, including scope, objectives, eligibility, and evaluation. Moderated by Martin Penny, Head of Communications at the ERCEA.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions. 

You can also revisit the first webinar and explore the clustered Q&A for additional insights.

EC Webinar: Lump Sum Funding in Horizon Europe: How Does it Work? How to Write a Proposal?


04 June 2026, 09:00 to 11:00
Online, no registration required

With the share of lump sum calls and topics in Horizon Europe increasing each year, applicants interested in learning more about this funding approach are strongly encouraged to participate in this or future events that form part of the Commission’s wider information campaign on lump sum funding.

Furthermore, lump sum funding is expected to become the default funding approach in the next next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10), also called Horizon Europe (2028-2034).

Where can I find out more about lump sum funding in Horizon Europe?
Further information about lump sums in Horizon Europe can be found on the Commission’s dedicated website.

This section of the Funding & Tenders Portal includes links to useful guides, Q&A and tips from participants in lump sum projects.

Programme outline
(UK time)

09:00 – Welcome and agenda
09:10 – Lump Sum Funding in Horizon Europe: How does it work? How to write a lump sum proposal?
09:45 – Practical experience with lump sum grants.
Panel discussion with invited guests moderated by Andreia CHICOS (RTD.H3)
10:15 – Coffee break
10:20 – Q&A session
11:00 – End of the meeting

Technical specifications
The event is free of charge and registration is not required. It will be webstreamed live on the event page via You Tube. Participants will be able to ask questions via Slido. The presentation slides and video recording will be available on the event page after the event.

ERC Advanced Grant 2026 Webinar


08 June 2026, 10:00 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

The UK National Contact Point for the European Research Council (ERC), is organising a webinar for researchers who are interested in applying for the 2026 ERC Advanced Grant call (ERC-2026-AdG).

Attendance will be free of charge, but registration for each webinar is required.  The webinar will provide information on the submission process, how proposals are evaluated and other elements you'll need to consider when designing a project for your research excellence idea. 

Also joining is, is Professor Adam Carter from the University of Glasgow who will share details of his journey towards getting an ERC Advanced grant.

The session will last 2 hours with a break midway through. The overall aim of this webinar is to provide participants with detailed, practical information about the ERC Advanced Grant scheme. 

Participants should gain a deeper understanding of the proposal format and the key issues they are required to address in planning, writing and costing a proposal. The evaluation procedure and how to approach writing an application will also be explained. 

MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 Call Information Webinar


18 June 2026, 10:00 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

The scheme implements doctoral programmes by partnerships of organisations from different sectors across Europe and beyond to train highly skilled doctoral candidates, stimulate their creativity, enhance their innovation capacities and boost their employability in the long-term.

These doctoral programmes will respond to well-identified needs in various research and innovation areas, expose the researchers to the academic and non-academic sectors, and offer research training, as well as transferable skills and competences relevant for innovation and long-term employability.

Aim of the event
The webinar aims to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the call, including the eligibility criteria, budget, and other points for consideration.

Who should attend?
The event is aimed at researchers and other staff in UK academic and non-academic organisations, including industry and funding organisations, who are interested in the MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 Call.

Programme outline
The webinar will cover the following topics:

  • Overview and Eligibility Rules
  • Funding
  • Novelties 2026-2027 Work Programme
  • Submission and Evaluation Criteria
  • Question and Answer Session

ERC Advanced Grants Webinar


19 June 2026, 10:30 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

The British Academy will be holding its next webinar for UK-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences interested in applying for European Research Council (ERC) grants on Friday, 19 June, from 10:30-12:00 (BST). This webinar will focus on the ERC Advanced Grants 2026 Call, which will open on 28 May 2026.  

The webinar will be led by Professor Patrick Haggard FBA and British Academy Fellows who have experience with ERC Grants and panels. 

The aim of the webinar is to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the proposal and evaluation format and the key issues they are required to address in planning, writing, and costing a proposal. 

There is an opportunity to have your B1 draft proposal reviewed by the panel. If selected, your B1 proposal will be discussed during the webinar (all names and personal details will be removed). Please note that the webinar will not be recorded. Please note that not all B1 proposals will be reviewed; however, the guidance provided is designed to benefit all attendees. 

If you would like to attend the webinar, please register using the form linked below by Thursday, 18 June at 12:00 (noon).

If you would like to submit a B1 draft proposal to be considered for feedback during the webinar, please register your interest on the registration form and send your B1 draft to Barbora Krasova (b.krasova@thebritishacademy.ac.uk) no later than Thursday, 4 June 12:00 (noon).

Please note that, as outlined above, it is not guaranteed that all B1 proposals will be reviewed. 

Expert Review of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) Special Report on Climate Change and Cities


26 June 2026

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has announced that the Expert Review for the Second Order Draft of the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities is now open until 3 July 2026.

If you would like to apply to be a reviewer, you can read more about the role here and register online here.

ORCID for Researchers webinar


30 June 2026, 11:00 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

Find out why getting a free ORCID iD and populating your ORCID record is key for researchers to get credit for their work.
 
ORCID is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals to use as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. Obtaining an ORCID iD and populating your profile helps achieve the vision where all who participate in research, scholarship, and innovation are uniquely identified and connected to their contributions across disciplines, borders, and time.
 
Your ORCID iD and profile can help you save time and get credit for your work in funding, publishing, and research reporting workflows. Funding organisations, publishers, and research institutions are increasingly requiring or asking for ORCID iDs from researchers.
 
In this workshop, we will include:

  • An overview of the benefits of ORCID for researchers
  • How ORCID can help you save time across the research landscape
  • Demonstrate the latest enhancements from ORCID
  • Show you how to keep your ORCID record up to date
  • Answer any questions

Thematic Research Lead Fellowships, 2027-2029


30 June 2026, 11:00 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

Find out why getting a free ORCID iD and populating your ORCID record is key for researchers to get credit for their work.
 
ORCID is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals to use as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. Obtaining an ORCID iD and populating your profile helps achieve the vision where all who participate in research, scholarship, and innovation are uniquely identified and connected to their contributions across disciplines, borders, and time.
 
Your ORCID iD and profile can help you save time and get credit for your work in funding, publishing, and research reporting workflows. Funding organisations, publishers, and research institutions are increasingly requiring or asking for ORCID iDs from researchers.
 
In this workshop, we will include:

  • An overview of the benefits of ORCID for researchers
  • How ORCID can help you save time across the research landscape
  • Demonstrate the latest enhancements from ORCID
  • Show you how to keep your ORCID record up to date
  • Answer any questions

 

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

May 2026

 

If you want to discuss funding opportunities or you are working on an application for research funding and would like feedback on a draft, please do contact the School’s Research Facilitators – Anna Cieslik (UK Funding) and Elizabeth Penner (EU/International Funding).  For Impact related queries please contact Lucy Sheerman (Impact Facilitator).

You can find more information on the AHSS Research Website, search our External Funding Deadline Calendar and look at Previous Bulletins.  We are also now on Twitter! Follow us for updates on funding calls and information sessions.

 

UK Research Council Funding

EU Funding

Charity Funding

 

Internal Funding

Training & Other

 

 

 

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships

Summary: Your actual programme or proposed programme of activities should reflect your prior knowledge and experience and be designed to support your longer-term research career aspirations.

Your application must demonstrate a realistic and practicable programme of work. Some suggested activities which could be included are as follows, but it is important to note that you are not expected to complete all activities on this list:

  • producing publications in order to help establish track record
  • engaging with a range of different audiences to communicate research findings
  • building networks to develop impact opportunities and inform and support further development
  • collaborating with users through an internship or placement to help develop professional and transferrable skills and understanding of users’ organisations, provided they are an integral part of the fellowship
  • further training to improve research and related skills
  • developing funding proposals
  • teaching, if this is aligned with the wider purposes of the fellowship (up to a maximum of six hours per week)
  • research visits to internationally leading research organisations, either in the UK or abroad, for the purposes of research collaboration, training, and access to data or other resources not available at your host organisation.

New research cannot be funded through these fellowships.

Award: There’s no maximum limit but fellowships can only include the following costs: salary costs of the fellow; indirect costs; estate costs; up to a maximum of £7,500 for all other costs. The duration of this award is up to nine months full-time, or up to 18 months part-time. The duration of part-time awards should be pro-rated based on the fellow’s time commitment. Fellowships must start on 1 October 2026. We will consider requests for later start dates in exceptional circumstances.

Funder Deadline: 01 June 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: information@cam-dtp.ac.uk

ESRC Connect Awards (pilot) 

Summary: Connect awards foster connections between researchers to scope, seed and grow emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. The opportunity provides a space for early collaboration on ideas within and beyond the social sciences that are novel, exploratory and high-risk, helping to build the foundations for future strategically important research and innovation.

We will be looking for applications that bring researchers together, forming new collaborations across disciplines, or bringing together different fields of research to develop high-risk, exploratory or unconventional research ideas and approaches.

The size and length of awards will give researchers from different backgrounds the space to test the potential of emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. Proposals should outline how collaborations will be developed and new areas of inquiry tested, for example, by applying ideas or methodologies from one field to another to stimulate new insights and challenge existing assumptions.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months, with projects expected to start on 1 October 2026. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £150,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 10 June 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Video games and gambling-related harms

Summary: With widespread engagement across demographics, video games have become increasingly embedded in UK economy, culture and society. Over half of UK adults play video games (53%). This figure is higher among children and younger people, with nine in ten children aged 3 to 17 (89%) and young people aged 16 to 24 (85%) playing video games.

In recent years, a variety of practices have emerged at the intersection of video games and gambling, increasingly blurring the lines between the two and challenging traditional definitions. These include a wide spectrum of activities, such as esports betting, skins betting, loot boxes, social casino games and other simulated gambling products.

This opportunity will support research that investigates the relationship between gambling and video games. This can encompass both regulated gambling that is adjacent to video games, for example esports betting, and unregulated gambling-like activities in video games, for example social casinos and loot boxes. We are particularly interested to support research that explores:

  • existing and emerging gambling and gambling-like phenomena in video games. This includes how different video games formats, platforms and technologies may intersect with gambling in distinct ways, with an eye to the potential need for different prevention and treatment strategies
  • regulatory frameworks, both national and international, governing these phenomena. This includes evaluating the effectiveness of differing regulatory regimes and policy decisions, identifying grey areas, regulatory gaps and potential loopholes. It also includes proposing evidence-based recommendations to prevent or mitigate harms, promote player wellbeing and foster safe and responsible video games
  • commercial determinants of health. This includes how market practices, design and monetisation approaches, and governance arrangements across relevant sectors may contribute to or mitigate gambling-related harms
  • user engagement patterns, including how individuals interact with these phenomena, the platforms and channels through which they are accessed, and the role of advertising and promotion
  • cross-sectoral connections, examining how gambling and gambling-like features in video games relate to other industries, and the regulatory environments within those sectors
  • public attitudes towards the gamification of gambling and the incorporation of gambling-like features into video games. This includes the development of tools, resources and interventions aimed at enhancing public engagement, raising awareness and promoting positive behaviour change
  • what works in terms of treating, preventing or reducing gambling-related harms associated with video games, including through game design and regulation

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £1,000,000. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. Projects can last up to 36 months.

Funder Deadline: 23 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC React Awards (pilot): outline

Summary: React awards enable time-critical research to support policymakers and practitioners delivering frontline public services in the UK. Researchers must work with public sector partners to respond to emerging and urgent evidence needs and deliver impactful outputs within six months.

To facilitate this, the pilot will be open to applications on a responsive basis and use a streamlined decision process, allowing proposals to be assessed, funded and start delivering within weeks. Successful projects will be expected to start within a month of funding confirmation.

A central objective of this opportunity is to allow researchers to support urgent policymaker or practitioner evidence needs in the UK. Therefore, applications will be required to include at least one collaborating partner from the UK public sector who needs and is able to action the planned project outputs within six months of them being produced. Partnerships must be confirmed at the time of application, fully aligned in terms of activity objectives, and able to begin the collaboration immediately from the start of an award.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months. Projects must start within one month of funding confirmation. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £100,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 08 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

2026-27 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

With the publication of the 2026-27 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read. This PDF [here] also outlines specific opportunities for AHSS researchers.

The European Commission adopted the main Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027, a €14 billion investment designed to drive research and innovation (R&I) across the EU's strategic goals. These goals include achieving climate neutrality, boosting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and innovation, and ensuring resilience in a rapidly changing world.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding)

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

You can sign up for our free daily EU grants and funding newsletter (English) by filling out this form. A digest of upcoming funding opportunities will arrive directly to your mailbox. If you would like to access all funding opportunities on our portal, you need to subscribe to the membership.

NEWS: ERC Scientific Council readjusts rules for reapplication

The ERC Scientific Council has listened to the concerns from members of the research community about the recent announcement on changes to the re-submission rules. The changes, intended to manage the surge in demand for ERC grants, pertain to calls for proposals in the 2027 ERC Work Programme. The Scientific Council has decided to readjust some of the announced changes. Read their response to the community.

RESOURCE: Horizon Europe National Contact Points Portal

The network of National Contact Points (NCPs) is the main structure to provide guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe. NCPs are also established in many non-EU and non-associated countries ("third countries").

ERC Advanced Grant

Summary:The ERC Advanced Grant is for established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements in the last 10 years. PIs should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions.

Award: € 2.5 million for a period of 5 years. An additional € 1 million can be requested to cover start-up costs, the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities. 

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Plus Grant

Summary: The ERC Plus Grant supports outstanding principal investigators who address major scientific challenges. Applications for ERC Plus Grants should be for projects that could not be carried out with a regular ERC grant. Applicants should explain how the proposed project goes beyond the scope of a regular ERC project, for example because it aims to transform the field or open new avenues of research. 

Scholars at all career stages can apply for an ERC Plus Grant if they have an outstanding record of scientific achievement at the forefront of their field. Their intellectual leadership will be evaluated in accordance with their career stage. A researcher will be allowed to hold only one ERC Plus Grant in their lifetime. 

Applications can be made in any field of research. The ERC's grants operate on a 'bottom-up' basis without predetermined priorities. 

Award: Up to €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding for projects a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) and with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. 

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship

Summary: The objective of PFs is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

European Postdoctoral Fellowships. They are open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. They fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

Both types of fellowships may also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except during the return phase of a Global Fellowship).

In an effort to build bridges between the academic and non-academic sector, researchers can receive additional support to carry out a placement of up to 6 months in a non-academic organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement needs to take place at the end of their fellowship.

Award: Up to €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding for projects a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) and with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. 

Funder Deadline: 09 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Proof of Concept

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

Proof of Concept Grants aim at maximising the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.

Award: A lump sum of € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Synergy Grant

Summary: The aim of the Synergy Grant is to support a small group (hereafter, the Synergy Grant Group) of two to four innovative and active Principal Investigators jointly addressing ambitious research problems that cannot be tackled by any single Principal Investigator and their team alone. Principal Investigators of any professional seniority, and with a competitive track record matching their career stage can apply. One of the Principal Investigators (except the Corresponding Principal Investigator) of the Synergy Grant Group may be hosted and engaged by an institution outside of the EU or an Associated Country.

Award: Up to a maximum of € 10 million for a period of 6 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). An additional € 4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Funder Deadline: TBC, likely October/November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

British Academy / Leverhulme Small Research Grant

Summary: All applications should demonstrate that Academy funds are sought for a clearly defined, discrete piece of research, which will have an identifiable outcome on completion of the Academy-funded component of the research. The first recourse for funding should be to your own institution (where applicable).

Award: Applications will not be considered for less than £500. The maximum grant is £10,000 over two years.

Funder Deadline: 03 June 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 21 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
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Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 28 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Research Centre

Summary: The Trust invites applications for Leverhulme Research Centres that will not only conduct research of outstanding originality but also aspire to achieve a significant step-change in scholarship. The Trust aims to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic. Applicants are, therefore, invited to be bold in compiling their bids. The centres should have the capacity to become recognised internationally for excellence in their chosen area. 

The Trust has a reputation for encouraging higher-risk research, which is therefore often fundamental or curiosity-driven – so-called ‘blue skies’ – and multi-disciplinary. The expectation is that centres will draw upon a range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise, perhaps bringing new disciplinary mixes to bear on a particular topic. 

Award: Up to £10 million is available for up 10 years.

Funder Deadline: February 2027. This will be a restricted call.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and the Research Strategy Office.

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Impact Starter Fund Call 2025-2026

Summary: The Impact Starter Fund sits within the schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities wider AHSS impact hub, providing a supportive space for researchers to explore early-stage impact and knowledge exchange ideas. As the first step to achieving impact, it helps researchers develop skills, explore approaches, build the collaborations needed for creating real-world impact, and longer-term engagement with partners and collaborators. 
 
At a glance: 

  • Funding available up to £15,000 per project   
  • Rolling call with no deadline  
  • Project duration can be up to 6 months, and all funds must be spent within the project timelines  
  • Activities must demonstrate a link with underpinning research  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider novel and innovative approaches to participatory methods and knowledge exchange  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider ways in which projects might contribute to the broader culture of engagement and collaboration,  develop researchers’ skills, partnerships, participatory methods, and knowledge exchange approaches. 

 
All AHSS Researchers (post PhD) and UTOs are eligible to apply.
 

Award: Between £10,000–£15,000 to support 3–6 month projects.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application.

Isaac Newton Trust Emergency Bridge & Underwriting

Summary: Designed to provide support for emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration between 3 and 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Opportunities for the Arts and Humanities research community to engage with Parliament
Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament

Beyond participation: Route into sport for girls and women
REMINDER: The Women and Equalities Committee will examine different ways women and girls can be involved in sport beyond participating as athletes, players and competitors.

It will consider coaching, sports science, officiating as referees and umpires, roles in club administration and sports governance, plus access to sports journalism and broadcasting. The inquiry will explore access from grassroots level and pathways to professional and elite careers. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 08 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Geography, Law, Media and Communication Studies


Neuroscience and digital childhoods
REMINDER: Exposure to digital technologies is an everyday experience for children, in how they play, learn, and connect with their families, friends and wider society. This exposure results in a complex picture of benefits and risks related to children’s physical and cognitive development and physical and mental health. There is a lot of data about device use and online habits but how the use of a wide range of digital devices affects development in childhood and adolescence is less clear.

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is launching an inquiry into neuroscience and digital childhoods to examine the impact of digital devices on brain development, as well as physical impacts, the differences between devices and uses, and the differing impacts on those of different ages and from different backgrounds.

Deadline to submit evidence: 10 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Education, Geography, Law, Linguistics, Media and Communication Studies, Science and Technology Studies


The transition from child to adult health and social care services
REMINDER: The Health and Social Care Committee has established and commissioned a politically impartial panel of experts to conduct an evaluation – independently of the Committee – of the services provided to individuals moving from child to adult health and social care. The Expert Panel will produce a report after each evaluation which will be sent to the Committee to review and undertake follow-up work. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 10 May 2026


Security, safety and protest: the role of Human Rights
REMINDER: The Joint Committee on Human Rights has launched a new inquiry to examine recent changes to laws relating to protest. 

In recent years, Parliament has passed legislation to give police more powers to police and restrict protest. New criminal offences have been established for protest related activities. The Government has argued that the growth of protests in recent years had placed an intolerable pressure on police resources. It also cited the changing nature of protest, with an increase in “guerilla tactics” causing unacceptable levels of disruption to wider society and fear in targeted communities. 

Civil liberties organisations and protest groups have criticised the measures for restricting the right to protest, warning that the crackdown on protest and harsh new powers that treats the peaceful expression of dissent as a criminal act. 

In this new inquiry, the Joint Committee on Human Rights will examine if the Government has struck the right balance between its duty to protect the public and its duty to respect the right to protest. It will also examine the reforms meet the UK’s human rights obligations. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 13 May 2026
Relevant discipline: History, Law, Media and Communication Studies, Philosophy, Political Theory, Science and Technology Studies, Visual Arts


Investment in research infrastructure
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Government has an ambition for the UK to be “one of the top three places in the world to create, invest in and scale-up a fast-growing technology business by 2035”. Overseen by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will be central to achieving this aim. UKRI is responsible for almost all of the UK’s research and innovation facilities and equipment, and spent £1.2bn on building, maintaining and upgrading research infrastructure in 2024-25.  

In 2025, a report from the Public Accounts Committee warned there was a lack of clearly defined objectives for UKRI making it difficult for DSIT to hold it accountable. The report also warned that UKRI was reliant on outdated IT systems and was unable to demonstrate how it monitors and manages its risk appetite in relation to its investment portfolio.  

The National Audit Office’s (NAO) 2026 report found that although UKRI and DSIT appear to have a clearer understanding of future infrastructure requirements, they have been too slow in replacing the UK’s supercomputers. The report also warned that UKRI is not carrying out enough maintenance to keep its estate in an acceptable condition. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 14 May 2026
 

Low-energy computing
NEW OPPORTUNITY: AI model sizes and data volumes are growing significantly. At the same time, areas like quantum computing and protein synthesis also require increasing amounts of computational power.

This trend is exerting increasing demands on energy supplies, and it has been suggested that new innovations in silicon photonics and neuromorphic computing could offer a solution. 

The Science, Innovation and Technology committee is examining how realistic a possibility this is, when breakthroughs might be expected to take place and what the government is doing to support research and innovation activity in this area.

This inquiry has been launched following pitches made to the committee as part of its Under the Microscope initiative. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 14 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Architecture and Design, Science and Technology Studies


Numeracy for Life
REMINDER: The Committee is looking to hear from as many individuals and organisations as possible with an interest, experience or expertise in numeracy. The Committee hopes to learn about opportunities, challenges and barriers, success stories and practical examples, and prospects for the future. In particular, evidence of successful outcomes in the teaching of adults- be it remedial or for those were not engaged in learning during their childhood.

We are interested in practical approaches that have worked in real world situations, and would be interested in hearing from any person or organisation with examples that they believe are scalable and cost effective to motivate and support adults in navigating personal financial decisions, managing their health and succeeding in their work lives.

 
Deadline to submit evidence: 15 May 2026


Government's intervention in British Steel
REMINDER: Rising energy prices, decarbonisation, uncertainty over trade and tariffs from the EU and US, as well as increased global competition have placed the UK’s steel industry under significant pressure in recent years. In January 2026, British Steel employed 4,052 permanent staff and had a production capacity of three million tonnes per year. British Steel currently supplies 80% of Network Rail’s steel requirements under a £500 million contract and its Scunthorpe site is home to the UK’s last remaining blast furnaces. In April 2025, the UK Government passed emergency legislation in a day to prevent the closure of British Steel’s blast furnaces, following concerns that they would be closed, putting UK industries and jobs at risk.  

The Public Accounts Committee published a report in June 2025 which highlighted the competing priorities for government when supporting industries, such as steel, whilst also working within the constraints of existing policies, such as those designed to support decarbonisation. The Committee called for greater transparency on how decisions are made in such circumstances, and for government to set out the measures it will take to ensure it can respond effectively to emerging issues that affect UK businesses. 

A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) found government has spent £377m on its intervention so far, with no clear end date or exit strategy. The report also stated that the intervention has not stabilised the company’s finances, and costs will continue to increase until the intervention has ended. Proceeding from the NAO report, the Committee will take evidence from senior government officials on topics including current operations, as well as future concerns and risks. The Committee also plans to hear from who are dependent on the successful delivery of the Government’s intervention. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 18 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Diplomacy and International Relations, Science and Technology Studies


Sizewell C
REMINDER: Sizewell C is a planned large-scale nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast. Funded by the government in partnership with the energy provider EDF, as well as private finance, the project is projected to cost £40.5bn to £47.7bn. When constructed, it will have a generating capacity of 3.2GW, meaning it will be able to generate around 7% of the UK’s current electricity demand. 

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) previously reported on the government's deal with EDF to construct a nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, the site with Sizewell C will be based on. The PAC were concerned that that government's negotiations were not championing the interests of consumers, who might be locked into an expensive deal for decades, and warned that the poorest would likely be the hardest hit. In its response, the Government accepted all of the PAC’s recommendations and stated the actions it planned to take in response. 

The National Audit Office (NAO) will publish its report on Sizewell C in spring 2026. Following the NAO’s investigation, which is likely to examine the government’s current spend, as well as the potential risks to achieving value for taxpayer’s money, the PAC will hear from senior officials at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Sizewell C on the reports key findings. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 18 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Law


Tourism
REMINDER: The inquiry, which will cover both domestic and international tourism, will explore how the UK promotes itself overseas, the role of culture and heritage in attracting visitors and how the UK competes with other destinations.

The Office for National Statistics estimated that tourism in the UK accounted for £58 billion of economic output in 2023, while 2024 was the first year since the COVID-19 pandemic that visitor numbers have exceeded 2019 levels.

With the Government setting an ambition for overseas visitor numbers to rise from 42.5 million in 2024 to 50 million by 2030, the inquiry will consider whether its current policies are supporting the growth, international competitiveness and long-term resilience of the sector.

The inquiry will also examine the impact of policy changes, including the proposal to give mayors powers to charge an overnight levy, alongside wider challenges such as energy price inflation and rising employment costs.

MPs will also investigate the sector’s recovery from the pandemic and the effectiveness of the DCMS’s work with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and devolved administrations.

Deadline to submit evidence: 18 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Creative Industries, Culture and Museum Studies, Drama and Theatre Studies, Geography, Heritage Studies, Language and Literature, Music, Visual Arts


UK trade with the EU
REMINDER: At a Joint Summit in May 2025, the UK and EU agreed to a Security and Defence Partnership, and published a “Common Understanding”, setting out shared commitments to deepen cooperation. Progress since that initial summit has been limited, with core areas for agreement still to conclude. 

The Business and Trade Committee therefore wishes to assess the delivery and expected benefits of the Government’s EU reset to date, and to examine whether the current approach is the right model to achieve the UK’s aims.

Deadline to submit evidence: 18 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Creative Industries, Diplomacy and International Relations, Drama and Theatre Studies, Law, Music, Visual Arts


UK trade with the US
REMINDER: The Business and Trade Committee is conducting its bi-annual stock take on the UK-US economic and trade agreements, building on its baseline report US Economic Prosperity Deal (HC 1306, 2024–26). 

Since that report, the Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) framework has been extended through a Technology Prosperity Deal (TPD) and an agreement on pharmaceutical tariffs. The Committee invites evidence on what has been delivered, and the priorities for future UK-US collaboration.

Deadline to submit evidence: 18 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Diplomacy and International Relations, Law


HM Treasury and the economics of climate and nature
REMINDER: The Environmental Audit Committee is examining the role of HM Treasury in shaping the UK’s response to climate change, nature loss and wider environmental sustainability. The Government’s economic policy objective includes a commitment to “accelerate the transition to a climate resilient, nature positive and net zero economy”.

This inquiry will explore how HM Treasury influences the Government’s approach to climate change, nature loss and environmental sustainability through economic policy, appraisal frameworks and funding decisions. It will also assess the extent to which these objectives are reflected in practice, including whether climate, nature and environmental sustainability are recognised as contributors to long term growth and resilience. In addition, the inquiry will consider how effectively climate and environment related risks and opportunities are assessed within economic and fiscal decisions, and what impact HM Treasury has in addressing them.https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/letter/2024/mpc-letter-remit-2024.pdf

Remit for the Monetary Policy Committee

Read the call for evidence for more information about this inquiry, and to find out how to submit written evidence through the Committee's online evidence submission portal.

Deadline to submit evidence: 21 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Law


Trade in a turbulent world: how should the UK deploy its trade
REMINDER: The International Agreements Committee, chaired by Lord Johnson of Lainston, is launching an inquiry titled “Trade in a turbulent world: how should the UK deploy its trade instruments?”. Growing trade turbulence and tariff volatility internationally, along with the rise of the services sector and digital economy, has led to a proliferation in sector specific agreements and ‘mini deals’ in trade policy, going beyond traditional Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). The inquiry seeks to scrutinise the Government’s approach to different types of trade agreement within the broader geopolitical context for rules-based trade.

Deadline to submit evidence: 22 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Architecture and Design, Creative Industries, Culture and Museum Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Drama and Theatre Studies, Heritage Studies, History, Information and Communication Technologies, Language and Literature, Law, Library and Information Studies, Media and Communication Studies, Music, Science and Technology Studies, Visual Arts


Reconciliation
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Reconciliation remains central to the vision of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, whose multi‑party negotiators affirmed that lasting peace in Northern Ireland depended not only on strong political structures but on honouring those who suffered “the tragedies of the past” by “dedicating ourselves to the achievement of reconciliation, tolerance, and mutual trust, and to the protection and vindication of the human rights of all. (The Belfast Agreement - GOV.UK, p.1)

Almost 30 years later, however, reconciliation remains one of the most complex aspects of the peace process. Following our inquiry into the legacy of the past, we have agreed to examine societal reconciliation in greater depth, recognising the significance of reconciliation both within and, crucially, beyond the framework of legacy legislation.

Read our call for evidence here for more detail about the inquiry and how to contribute your views.

Deadline to submit evidence: 01 June 2026
Relevant disciplines: Architecture and Design, Development Studies and Area Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Gender Studies, Geography, History, Language and Literature, Law, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Political Theory, Social Anthropology, Theology Divinity and Religion, Visual Arts, War Studies / Peace Studies


Regulation of water, energy and broadband
NEW OPPORTUNITY: The Public Accounts Committee’s 2025 report on water sector regulation found that a failing sector had been left to flounder, with piecemeal regulators missing in action, further scrutinising the work of Ofwat in January 2026. Its inquiry into improving broadband in 2021 found that digital inequality was compounding the economic inequality harshly exposed by the COVID pandemic. Its 2022 report into the regulation of energy suppliers found that Ofgem’s failures had come at a considerable cost to energy billpayers.

The National Audit Office (NAO) will publish the findings of its report into Regulating water, energy and broadband to protect consumers in summer 2026.

The NAO is likely consider if regulators are meetings customer experience expectations and how they are protecting customers at higher risk of experiencing harm or detriment. Following the publication, the PAC will hear from senior officials at the key regulatory bodies Ofcom, Ofwat and Ofgem on the findings of the report, as well as consumer rights groups.

Deadline to submit evidence: 01 June 2026
Relevant disciplines: Law


Fiscal devolution in England
NEW OPPORTUNITY: The Economic Affairs Committee is launching an inquiry into fiscal devolution in England. The inquiry will consider what form fiscal devolution might take, its distributional consequences, and what governance arrangements might be needed as more powers are devolved to local areas. The committee has issued a call for written evidence and will be taking oral evidence from May 2025.

Deadline to submit evidence: 05 June 2026
Relevant disciplines: Archaeology, Architecture and Design, Creative Industries, Culture and Museum Studies, Development Studies and Area Studies, Drama and Theatre Studies, Geography, Heritage Studies, History, Law, Music, Philosophy, Political Theory, Visual Arts


Financial sustainability of the British Council
NEW OPPORTUNITY: The British Council is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Founded 90 years ago, the Council has a well-established history in promoting UK culture, education and the English language across the globe.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the British Council saw a steep fall in its revenues as it was forced to suspend many of its income-generating activities, such as English language teaching. In response, the FCDO provided the British Council with a loan, of which around £197m remains outstanding. The current loan term comes to an end in September 2026; however, the Council has indicated it is unlikely to be able to pay back the remaining balance under the current arrangements.

The National Audit Office (NAO) will publish the findings of its investigation into the financial sustainability of the British Council in summer 2026.

The investigation is likely to examine the current financial position of the British Council and its relationship with the FCDO. Following the publication, the PAC will hear from senior officials at the FCDO and the British Council to discuss the reports key findings.

Deadline to submit evidence: 05 June 2026
Relevant disciplines: Culture and Museum Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Education, Language and Literature


HMRC's anti-fraud intervention on child benefit
NEW OPPORTUNITY: In 2024-25, material levels of fraud and error in child benefit stood at £270m. HM Revenue & Customs launched a new intervention in 2025 to tackle fraud and error in child benefit cases, which aimed to save c.£350m over five years. HMRC used Home Office flight data to identify suspicious cases where the child or family might no longer be resident in the UK. Initially, this meant that HMRC suspended payments of Child Benefit immediately for identified cases, without notifying people first. As of January 2026, HMRC reports that it had reinstated payments for over 70% of initial cases, and has modified its approach.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has a long-standing interest in how government tackles error and fraud. The PAC found in 2023 that large gaps remained in government’s understanding of its exposure to the risks of fraud and corruption against it. The Treasury Select Committee (TSC) looked at HMRC’s intervention in this area in November 2025, criticising the tax authority’s approach as cavalier. The TSC found that HMRC removed employment checks when expanding the use of flight data to detect child benefit fraud, after which 23,794 claimants had their payments suspended.

The National Audit Office (NAO) publishes its independent assessment into HMRC’s child benefit fraud-and-error intervention in summer 2026.

Proceeding from the NAO’s investigation, which will examine the intervention in detail and what lessons have been learned from it, the PAC will hear from witnesses including senior HMRC officials as it examines how the risks and complexities associated with trialling new methods of tackling fraud and error can be managed by government.

Deadline to submit evidence: 03 July 2026  


Electronic Voting
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Electronic Voting. The Procedure Committee is interested in the potential merits and pitfalls of introducing electronic voting arrangements for divisions (votes) in the House of Commons. They are interested in:

  • lessons from similar temporary arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as impacts on other procedures of the House. Political and constitutional historians may have useful insight;
  • the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics, and the general impact of electronic voting on other procedures of the House. Lawyers and constitutional legal scholars may have useful insight;
  • potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Philosophers working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight;
  • potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Political theorists working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight.

No deadline to submit evidence.

Relevant disciplines: History, Law, Philosophy, Political Theory

Caring for Transformation Workshop
05 May 2026, 09:30 to 12:30
Alison Richard Building
[REGISTER HERE]

Led by Professor Mónica Moreno Figueroa (University of Cambridge, Director of GRIST), this session invites participants to reflect on the personal, political, academic, and emotional realities of researching and living with racism, classism, sexism, ableism, and other intersecting injustices.

Through collective listening, guided reflection, and an embodied movement practice led by choreographer Bim Malcomson, participants will explore connection, collaboration, and new ways of thinking together.

A unique opportunity to deepen collective engagement, strengthen ethical scholarship, and build community.

CultureLab Workshop: Creativity and self-expression in academia - for arts, humanities, social scientists, biologists and their friends
08 May 2026, 13:30 to 15:00
Eastwood room of the Mill Lane postdoc centre
[REGISTER HERE]

This workshop is about recognising creative impulses in oneself and others and learning how to make space for playful self-expression despite the pressures. We will (1) demystify what it is to be creative in academia; (2) share our projects, ideas and fantasies; (3) imagine actionable plans on how to create a creative community at your institution.

The session will be facilitated by Anatoliii Kozlov, a scientist-turned-philosopher and a creative practitioner. In the past two years, he facilitated TheCultureLab project at the PDN and CST Departments.

“The depth of the conversations: I never spoke with anyone from the
Department on that level” – participant of TheCultureLab

Tea, coffee and snacks will be served.

DFG and DAAD presentation on funding opportunities for international collaborations
12 May 2026, 15:30 to 15:00
General Board Room, Old Schools

The DAAD-University of Cambridge Research Hub for German Studies works closely together with the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG - German Research Foundation).
 
The DFG is the central self-governing research funding organisation in Germany. The DFG serves the sciences and humanities and promotes research of the highest quality in all its forms and disciplines at universities and non-university research institutions. The focus is on funding projects developed by the academic community itself in the area of knowledge-driven research. DFG takes particular care to promote international cooperation, early career researchers, gender equality and diversity in science and the humanities and supports international cooperation in all its funding programmes.
 
On 12 May, DFG colleagues will hold an information session to give a short overview about funding opportunities for international collaboration within the DFG funding portfolio, concluding with a Q&A session on UK-German research cooperation. We are also delighted to welcome Andreas Hoeschen, Director of the DAAD London Office, who will outline DAAD funding opportunities beyond the Cambridge DAAD Hub.
 
The event will take place at 15:30 on 12 May in the General Board Room at the Old Schools (please go to the reception at the Old Schools).
 
Please register for the event via Eventbrite and please note there are only 21 spaces available. Please also send this on to anyone you think might have an interest in attending the event.

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 Call Information Webinar
14 May 2026, 10:00 to 12:00
Online

The UK National Contact Point for the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is holding an information webinar for organisations and individuals interested in applying to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call (opening date: 9 April 2026, and deadline: 9 September 2026).

The webinar aims to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the call, including the eligibility criteria, budget, and other points for consideration.

The event is aimed at researchers and other staff in UK academic and non-academic organisations, including industry and funding organisations, who are interested in the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call.

Programme outline

The webinar will cover the following topics:

  • Overview and Eligibility Rules
  • Funding
  • Novelties 2026-2027 Work Programme
  • Submission and Evaluation Criteria
  • Question and Answer Session

EC Webinar: Lump Sum Funding in Horizon Europe: How Does it Work? How to Write a Proposal?
04 June 2026, 09:00 to 11:00
Online, no registration required

With the share of lump sum calls and topics in Horizon Europe increasing each year, applicants interested in learning more about this funding approach are strongly encouraged to participate in this or future events that form part of the Commission’s wider information campaign on lump sum funding.

Furthermore, lump sum funding is expected to become the default funding approach in the next next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10), also called Horizon Europe (2028-2034).

Where can I find out more about lump sum funding in Horizon Europe?
Further information about lump sums in Horizon Europe can be found on the Commission’s dedicated website.

This section of the Funding & Tenders Portal includes links to useful guides, Q&A and tips from participants in lump sum projects.

Programme outline
(UK time)

09:00 – Welcome and agenda
09:10 – Lump Sum Funding in Horizon Europe: How does it work? How to write a lump sum proposal?
09:45 – Practical experience with lump sum grants.
Panel discussion with invited guests moderated by Andreia CHICOS (RTD.H3)
10:15 – Coffee break
10:20 – Q&A session
11:00 – End of the meeting

Technical specifications
The event is free of charge and registration is not required. It will be webstreamed live on the event page via You Tube. Participants will be able to ask questions via Slido. The presentation slides and video recording will be available on the event page after the event.

ERC Advanced Grant 2026 Webinar
08 June 2026, 10:00 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

The UK National Contact Point for the European Research Council (ERC), is organising a webinar for researchers who are interested in applying for the 2026 ERC Advanced Grant call (ERC-2026-AdG).

Attendance will be free of charge, but registration for each webinar is required.  The webinar will provide information on the submission process, how proposals are evaluated and other elements you'll need to consider when designing a project for your research excellence idea. 

Also joining is, is Professor Adam Carter from the University of Glasgow who will share details of his journey towards getting an ERC Advanced grant.

The session will last 2 hours with a break midway through. The overall aim of this webinar is to provide participants with detailed, practical information about the ERC Advanced Grant scheme. 

Participants should gain a deeper understanding of the proposal format and the key issues they are required to address in planning, writing and costing a proposal. The evaluation procedure and how to approach writing an application will also be explained. 

MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 Call Information Webinar
18 June 2026, 10:00 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

The scheme implements doctoral programmes by partnerships of organisations from different sectors across Europe and beyond to train highly skilled doctoral candidates, stimulate their creativity, enhance their innovation capacities and boost their employability in the long-term.

These doctoral programmes will respond to well-identified needs in various research and innovation areas, expose the researchers to the academic and non-academic sectors, and offer research training, as well as transferable skills and competences relevant for innovation and long-term employability.

Aim of the event
The webinar aims to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the call, including the eligibility criteria, budget, and other points for consideration.

Who should attend?
The event is aimed at researchers and other staff in UK academic and non-academic organisations, including industry and funding organisations, who are interested in the MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 Call.

Programme outline
The webinar will cover the following topics:

  • Overview and Eligibility Rules
  • Funding
  • Novelties 2026-2027 Work Programme
  • Submission and Evaluation Criteria
  • Question and Answer Session

ERC Advanced Grants Webinar
19 June 2026, 10:30 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

The British Academy will be holding its next webinar for UK-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences interested in applying for European Research Council (ERC) grants on Friday, 19 June, from 10:30-12:00 (BST). This webinar will focus on the ERC Advanced Grants 2026 Call, which will open on 28 May 2026.  

The webinar will be led by Professor Patrick Haggard FBA and British Academy Fellows who have experience with ERC Grants and panels. 

The aim of the webinar is to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the proposal and evaluation format and the key issues they are required to address in planning, writing, and costing a proposal. 

There is an opportunity to have your B1 draft proposal reviewed by the panel. If selected, your B1 proposal will be discussed during the webinar (all names and personal details will be removed). Please note that the webinar will not be recorded. Please note that not all B1 proposals will be reviewed; however, the guidance provided is designed to benefit all attendees. 

If you would like to attend the webinar, please register using the form linked below by Thursday, 18 June at 12:00 (noon).

If you would like to submit a B1 draft proposal to be considered for feedback during the webinar, please register your interest on the registration form and send your B1 draft to Barbora Krasova (b.krasova@thebritishacademy.ac.uk) no later than Thursday, 4 June 12:00 (noon).

Please note that, as outlined above, it is not guaranteed that all B1 proposals will be reviewed. 

 

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

April 2026

If you want to discuss funding opportunities or you are working on an application for research funding and would like feedback on a draft, please do contact the School’s Research Facilitators – Anna Cieslik (UK Funding) and Elizabeth Penner (EU/International Funding).  For Impact related queries please contact Lucy Sheerman (Impact Facilitator).

You can find more information on the AHSS Research Website, search our External Funding Deadline Calendar and look at Previous Bulletins.  We are also now on Twitter! Follow us for updates on funding calls and information sessions.

UK Research Council Funding

EU Funding

Charity Funding

Internal Funding

Training / Other

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept

Summary: Your proposed activities should galvanise arts and humanities research previously funded by AHRC/UKRI to deliver meaningful real-world change through significant economic, social, cultural, or policy impact.

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept Opportunity aims to:

  • facilitate ambitious arts and humanities projects to realise measurable, real-world change
  • provide flexible support for innovative pathways to impact, whether projects are pivoting to new contexts and collaborations, amplifying existing impact activity or at the early stage of developing commercialisation outcomes
  • sustain and maximise excellent models of co-design, co-development and partnership working to deliver tangible outputs that demonstrate the transformational benefits of arts and humanities research
  • encourage and enable a range of pathways to impact between arts and humanities research and a variety of user communities, including business, third sector and heritage sector, public policy, voluntary and community groups, or the general public
  • celebrate and support meaningful arts and humanities contributions to economic growth and government priorities.

Award: Up to £150,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the fEC for projects up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open call

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: ESRC React Awards

Summary: React awards enable time-critical research to support policymakers and practitioners delivering frontline public services in the UK. Researchers must work with public sector partners to respond to emerging and urgent evidence needs and deliver impactful outputs within six months.

To facilitate this, the pilot will be open to applications on a responsive basis and use a streamlined decision process, allowing proposals to be assessed, funded and start delivering within weeks. Successful projects will be expected to start within a month of funding confirmation.

A central objective of this opportunity is to allow researchers to support urgent policymaker or practitioner evidence needs in the UK. Therefore, applications will be required to include at least one collaborating partner from the UK public sector who needs and is able to action the planned project outputs within six months of them being produced. Partnerships must be confirmed at the time of application, fully aligned in terms of activity objectives, and able to begin the collaboration immediately from the start of an award.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months. Projects must start within one month of funding confirmation. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £100,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: ESRC Connect Awards

Summary: Connect awards foster connections between researchers to scope, seed and grow emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. The opportunity provides a space for early collaboration on ideas within and beyond the social sciences that are novel, exploratory and high-risk, helping to build the foundations for future strategically important research and innovation.

We will be looking for applications that bring researchers together, forming new collaborations across disciplines, or bringing together different fields of research to develop high-risk, exploratory or unconventional research ideas and approaches.

The size and length of awards will give researchers from different backgrounds the space to test the potential of emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. Proposals should outline how collaborations will be developed and new areas of inquiry tested, for example, by applying ideas or methodologies from one field to another to stimulate new insights and challenge existing assumptions.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months, with projects expected to start on 1 October 2026. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £150,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Expression of Interest: Sandpit: AI supported research using UKRI social science data

Summary: Submit an expression of interest to attend a two‑day in‑person sandpit in Manchester on 23 to 24 June 2026 to develop high-level ideas on AI‑supported social science using UKRI data. The sandpit will bring together around 40 experts to co‑create proposals to UKRI.

Award: After the sandpit, participants will be invited to submit applications for projects of up to £230,000 FEC. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 12 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Northern Ireland Election Study 2026 to 2031

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this opportunity will be:

  • to identify a team and host institution to lead Northern Ireland Assembly and UK General Election studies in Northern Ireland between 2026 and 2036
  • to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election and the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Northern Ireland


ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

  • produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
  • promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
  • collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates


Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: 14 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

British Election Study 2027 to 2032

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this funding opportunity will be:

  • to identify a team and host institution to lead the British Election Study (BES) between 2027 and 2037.
  • to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Great Britain, and surveys aligned to local elections.


Our objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

  • produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
  • promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
  • collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: 14 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

What Works Centre (WWC) for local employment support

Summary: The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are jointly inviting proposals for an independent, co-created What Works Centre (WWC) to identify, develop, test, and evaluate evidence-based locally delivered employment and labour market support to help people access, remain in, and thrive in work.

The What Works Centre for local employment support will focus primarily on the role and effectiveness of local and regional government levers to increase and sustain local labour force participation rates, with an emphasis on the role and effectiveness of locally-delivered active labour market policies (ALMPs) and other ‘active’ interventions aimed at achieving positive employment outcomes.

You are encouraged to adopt a whole-systems approach that drives collaboration and leverages evidence from across interconnected policy areas to improve local employment outcomes. We welcome proposals that look beyond traditional employment measures to include employment-related interventions in, for example, health, transportation, housing, and regional development, addressing the wider factors that shape people’s ability to access and sustain work.

Proposals must include team members and project partners from outside academia.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £15 million. ESRC and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding is for a single award. The project must begin by 22 January 2027 and run for 60 months.

Funder Deadline: 19 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

UK National Coordinator and survey data collection for the European Social Survey, Round 13 and 14 

Summary: The aims of this opportunity are:

  • to identify a National Coordinator for Round 13 and 14 of the European Social Survey (ESS) in the UK
  • to deliver data collection for Round 13 and 14 of the ESS in the UK

ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

  • produce high quality data that meets the requirements of the ESS European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) specification, building on the existing cross-national and time series data
  • produce data that meets the needs of the UK and international research, and wider stakeholder communities , and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
  • collaborate across the ESS, meeting the requirements of the ESS ERIC Specification, to deliver UK interests and enable the research wider stakeholder communities to fully utilise ESS data
  • promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities in the UK, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public

By delivering the objectives ESS will support the delivery of ESRC’s Data Infrastructure Strategy. In particular within the following focus areas: building and sustaining a foundation and impact and public benefit.

Applications should clearly outline how their project objectives and work packages contribute to the above ESRC funding objectives for ESS. Applications will be assessed and prioritised based on how well they deliver the funding objectives, opportunity specification and ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,070KB).

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2,310,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC (exceptions including subcontracted social surveys are funded at 100% FEC). Funding is available for a maximum of 48 months, from August 2026.

Funder Deadline: 21 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ADR UK Academic Lead 2026 to 2031: Better Economic Data

Summary: Apply for funding to become an Academic Lead for Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) core partners delivering better economic data.

In the current investment phase, ADR UK have worked with DWP and HMRC to facilitate secure research access to the UK-wide population interactions with employment (including self-employment), benefits and pensions (RAPID) linked dataset. This dataset is not linked to business tax returns but does allow researchers to understand the journeys and interactions between employment, self-employment, and benefit accrual and receipt.

To ensure researchers are provided with the appropriate support and advice to understand how to use this new flagship dataset, we are commissioning an academic team to provide training and user support to researchers, in line with similar training and capacity building offerings already in place for other flagship datasets. Applicants should explain how they will provide academic leadership to:

  • strengthen research community capability to use flagship datasets for public good research
  • represent researchers in the continuous improvement of RAPID and the wider researcher journey
  • build and sustain an active, engaged community of researchers using RAPID
  • expand policy relevant and impactful use of RAPID

 

There is a potential opportunity for inward secondment to DWP for the successful academic team, to become expert users of RAPID to support researchers and enable effective discussions with DWP around possible future developments.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2,000,000,00. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 21 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ADR UK Academic Lead(s) 2026 to 2031: Data First (MoJ)

Summary: Apply for funding to become an Academic Lead for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data First programme to facilitate and deliver new and innovative research across the justice system.

The Academic Lead(s) will be an embedded and integral member of the MoJ Data First team, acting as a critical bridge between government and academia. They will combine academic expertise with an applied understanding of justice data, justice policy contexts and TREs, working closely alongside government analysts, policy colleagues and wider stakeholders. Through this collaboration, the Academic Lead(s) will help shape and increase policy relevant, methodologically robust, and impactful research in the public good.

The Academic Lead(s) will champion the programme across the academic community while supporting MoJ to realise the full value of its linked justice datasets. This includes ensuring that:

  • datasets are used to their research potential
  • academic researchers are supported through their end-to-end journey from early scoping through to dissemination
  • the programme remains responsive to emerging research questions, methods and user needs
  • research activity is aligned with justice priorities, cross-government interests and the MoJ Areas of Research Interest (ARI, 2025)

The successful applicant(s) will provide academic leadership on the use of linked justice data to generate novel and crosscutting insights across the criminal, civil and family justice systems. Furthermore, the postholder(s) will ensure links with other public services such as education, social care and offending.

Data First flagship datasets include:

Data First: Cross-Justice System – England and Wales
Data First: Family Court linked to Cafcass and Census 2021 – England and Wales
Ministry of Justice & Department for Education linked dataset – England

As the data portfolio expands, it will provide new opportunities for research based on links with other government datasets. The Academic Lead(s) will promote the exploration and development of innovative analytical and methodological approaches enabled by linked administrative and synthetic data.

Award: The role is expected to begin in Autumn 2026. Funding is available up to March 2031. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £500,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 21 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships

Summary: Your actual programme or proposed programme of activities should reflect your prior knowledge and experience and be designed to support your longer-term research career aspirations.

Your application must demonstrate a realistic and practicable programme of work. Some suggested activities which could be included are as follows, but it is important to note that you are not expected to complete all activities on this list:

  • producing publications in order to help establish track record
  • engaging with a range of different audiences to communicate research findings
  • building networks to develop impact opportunities and inform and support further development
  • collaborating with users through an internship or placement to help develop professional and transferrable skills and understanding of users’ organisations, provided they are an integral part of the fellowship
  • further training to improve research and related skills
  • developing funding proposals
  • teaching, if this is aligned with the wider purposes of the fellowship (up to a maximum of six hours per week)
  • research visits to internationally leading research organisations, either in the UK or abroad, for the purposes of research collaboration, training, and access to data or other resources not available at your host organisation.

New research cannot be funded through these fellowships.

Award: There’s no maximum limit but fellowships can only include the following costs: salary costs of the fellow; indirect costs; estate costs; up to a maximum of £7,500 for all other costs. The duration of this award is up to nine months full-time, or up to 18 months part-time. The duration of part-time awards should be pro-rated based on the fellow’s time commitment. Fellowships must start on 1 October 2026. We will consider requests for later start dates in exceptional circumstances.

Funder Deadline: 01 June 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: information@cam-dtp.ac.uk

2026-27 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

With the publication of the 2026-27 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read. This PDF [here] also outlines specific opportunities for AHSS researchers.

The European Commission adopted the main Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027, a €14 billion investment designed to drive research and innovation (R&I) across the EU's strategic goals. These goals include achieving climate neutrality, boosting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and innovation, and ensuring resilience in a rapidly changing world.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding)

 

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

You can sign up for our free daily EU grants and funding newsletter (English) by filling out this form. A digest of upcoming funding opportunities will arrive directly to your mailbox. If you would like to access all funding opportunities on our portal, you need to subscribe to the membership.

ERC Advanced Grant

Summary:The ERC Advanced Grant is for established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements in the last 10 years. PIs should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions.

Award: € 2.5 million for a period of 5 years. An additional € 1 million can be requested to cover start-up costs, the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities. 

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Plus Grant

Summary: The ERC Plus Grant supports outstanding principal investigators who address major scientific challenges. Applications for ERC Plus Grants should be for projects that could not be carried out with a regular ERC grant. Applicants should explain how the proposed project goes beyond the scope of a regular ERC project, for example because it aims to transform the field or open new avenues of research. 

Scholars at all career stages can apply for an ERC Plus Grant if they have an outstanding record of scientific achievement at the forefront of their field. Their intellectual leadership will be evaluated in accordance with their career stage. A researcher will be allowed to hold only one ERC Plus Grant in their lifetime. 

Applications can be made in any field of research. The ERC's grants operate on a 'bottom-up' basis without predetermined priorities. 

Award: Up to €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding for projects a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) and with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. 

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship

Summary: The objective of PFs is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

European Postdoctoral Fellowships. They are open to researchers moving within Europe or coming to Europe from another part of the world to pursue their research career. These fellowships take place in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and can last between 1 and 2 years. Researchers of any nationality can apply.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships. They fund the mobility of researchers outside Europe. The fellowship lasts between 2 to 3 years, of which the first 1 to 2 years will be spent in a non-associated Third Country, followed by a mandatory return phase of 1 year to an organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. Only nationals or long-term residents of the EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries can apply.

Both types of fellowships may also include short-term secondments anywhere in the world during the fellowship (except during the return phase of a Global Fellowship).

In an effort to build bridges between the academic and non-academic sector, researchers can receive additional support to carry out a placement of up to 6 months in a non-academic organisation based in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. This placement needs to take place at the end of their fellowship.

Award: Up to €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding for projects a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) and with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. 

Funder Deadline: 09 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Proof of Concept

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

Proof of Concept Grants aim at maximising the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.

Award: A lump sum of € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Synergy Grant

Summary: The aim of the Synergy Grant is to support a small group (hereafter, the Synergy Grant Group) of two to four innovative and active Principal Investigators jointly addressing ambitious research problems that cannot be tackled by any single Principal Investigator and their team alone. Principal Investigators of any professional seniority, and with a competitive track record matching their career stage can apply. One of the Principal Investigators (except the Corresponding Principal Investigator) of the Synergy Grant Group may be hosted and engaged by an institution outside of the EU or an Associated Country.

Award: Up to a maximum of € 10 million for a period of 6 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). An additional € 4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Funder Deadline: TBC, likely October/November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

Award: Applications are invited for a minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000.  A Visiting Professorship must last at least 3 months. Grants between 3 and 6 months must be completed in one visit. Grants between 6 and 12 months can be spread over two or more visits, with 12 months being the maximum duration for a visit.

Funder Deadline: 01 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowships

Summary: For well-established, distinguished researchers in the humanities and social sciences to complete a piece of original research
Fellowships are particularly aimed at those who are or have been prevented by routine duties from completing a programme of original research.

Award: Replacement salary costs for the duration of the Fellowship.

Funder Deadline: 08 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 21 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
.
Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 28 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Research Centre

Summary: The Trust invites applications for Leverhulme Research Centres that will not only conduct research of outstanding originality but also aspire to achieve a significant step-change in scholarship. The Trust aims to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic. Applicants are, therefore, invited to be bold in compiling their bids. The centres should have the capacity to become recognised internationally for excellence in their chosen area. 

The Trust has a reputation for encouraging higher-risk research, which is therefore often fundamental or curiosity-driven – so-called ‘blue skies’ – and multi-disciplinary. The expectation is that centres will draw upon a range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise, perhaps bringing new disciplinary mixes to bear on a particular topic. 

Award: Up to £10 million is available for up 10 years.

Funder Deadline: February 2027. This will be a restricted call.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and the Research Strategy Office.

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

All Council Harmonised IAA Impact Starter Fund Call 2024-2025

Summary: Impact Starter funding will be available on a rolling basis to fund short-term projects of up to three months duration. Projects are expected to be short, cost-effective ways of kick-starting impact creation from research findings. The Impact Starter Fund will only consider projects that do not qualify for other IAA funding calls.

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Impact Funding Callout

Summary: The University of Cambridge AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the Social Science Impact Fund (SSIF) will open during Michaelmas term. 

The overall purpose of this fund is to support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities. Awards will be made available to fund work that will significantly increase the probability of the ideas and findings generated by the research having a non-academic impact on the private, public, and third sectors. Collaborative, innovative, and co-funded projects are encouraged.  

Full information on eligible projects and the application process will be circulated as soon as possible.  

Award: Awards will be made in the region of £5,000 to £25,000, covering 100% of directly incurred costs but not indirect costs.  

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application. Preliminary discussions ahead of the call opening are welcome

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Impact Starter Fund Call 2025-2026

Summary: The Impact Starter Fund sits within the schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities wider AHSS impact hub, providing a supportive space for researchers to explore early-stage impact and knowledge exchange ideas. As the first step to achieving impact, it helps researchers develop skills, explore approaches, build the collaborations needed for creating real-world impact, and longer-term engagement with partners and collaborators. 
 
At a glance: 

  • Funding available up to £15,000 per project   
  • Rolling call with no deadline  
  • Project duration can be up to 6 months, and all funds must be spent within the project timelines  
  • Activities must demonstrate a link with underpinning research  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider novel and innovative approaches to participatory methods and knowledge exchange  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider ways in which projects might contribute to the broader culture of engagement and collaboration,  develop researchers’ skills, partnerships, participatory methods, and knowledge exchange approaches. 

 
All AHSS Researchers (post PhD) and UTOs are eligible to apply.
 

Award: Between £10,000–£15,000 to support 3–6 month projects.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application.

Isaac Newton Trust Emergency Bridge & Underwriting

Summary: Designed to provide support for emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration between 3 and 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Isaac Newton Trust Project Start-up Grants

Summary: Designed to support the establishment of new, stellar quality, visionary projects. Trustees will be looking for relevant expertise and the attainment of results in the time available. Applications could be for seed-corn funding, collecting pilot data, or similar start-up or exploratory research.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 12 months

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Isaac Newton Trust Fellowship Support

Summary: Designed to contribute match or top-up funding towards an externally awarded Early Career Fellowship to be held at the University. This may include salary or consumables support. Please note that the INT supports the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships under a different scheme.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 3 years.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Early and Mid-Career Academic Mentoring Scheme - Expressions of Interest
Currently open

Following a successful pilot, the Early-Mid Career Academic Mentoring Scheme will run for a second year in Easter Term 2026.
 
The scheme is designed to support early–mid career academics in their professional development, leadership capability, career confidence, and wellbeing. Mentoring conversations provide a confidential space for guided reflection, personal development, and exposure to new perspectives. Mentees will be matched with mentors from outside their department and immediate area of work, creating a supportive and impartial environment.
 
The scheme is open to prospective mentees who are staff at grades 9–10 on either a Research & Teaching or Teaching & Scholarship contract. We’re particularly keen to hear from new mentors who are Senior Academics (grade 11 and above).
 
If you are interested in being a mentee or mentor or would like to find out more, please complete this short Expression of Interest form or contact LOD@admin.cam.ac.uk. Please note that submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee a place on the scheme.

Opportunities for the Arts and Humanities research community to engage with Parliament
Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament


Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Contribute evidence to a select committee inquiry into: Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK. The Environmental Audit Committee is interested in (among other things):

  • the impact of different kinds of data centres
  • whether existing and emerging technologies can be used to minimise the environmental and climate change impact of data centres
  • and/or whether data centres offer opportunities in helping to power and heat local communities and amenities and what will be required to deliver benefits. Experts in architecture and design may have relevant insight for this inquiry.

Deadline to submit evidence: 06 April 2026
Relevant disciplines: Architecture and Design, Development Studies and Area Studies, Law, Library and Information Studies, Media and Communication Studies, Science and Technology Studies
 
 
The Use of Artificial Intelligence and EdTech in Education
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Submit evidence to a select committee inquiry into: The Use of Artificial Intelligence and EdTech in Education. The Education Committee is looking to examine how AI and EdTech are reshaping education across England, including HE. They are interested in opportunities for improving learning and teaching as well as the risks they present.

  • Architecture, Creative Industries, Dance, Drama and Theatre Studies, Music: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as creativity.
  • Classics: Of particular interest to Classicists may be the Committee's questions about the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as oracy.
  • Education: Of particular interest to researchers working from an Arts and Humanities perspective may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of children and young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as critical thinking, oracy and creativity.
  • Geography: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about the ways in which AI is reshaping learning and education; whether parents, guardians and other family members have the information and support they need as AI is increasingly embedded in their children's education; whether disparities in digital literacy among adults perpetuate inequalities for children; the impact on children taught at home; whether there are any significant gaps or disparities in children and young people's access to AI-enabled tools and other digital platforms, including geographical, socio-economic or other demographic factors; and/or the evolving nature of digital risks, including addictive design features.
  • Information and Communication Studies, Library and Information Studies: Of particular interest to experts in information and knowledge management may be the Committee's questions about whether there is sufficient regulation of the collection and use of children's data by companies providing AI tools and EdTech.
  • Languages and Literature, Linguistics: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as creativity, critical thinking, and oracy.
  • Law: Of particular interest to lawyers and legal experts may be the Committee's questions about children's digital rights, regulation of the collection and use of children's data, and safeguarding implications arising from rapidly developing technologies such as generative AI. 
  • Media and Communication Studies: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as creativity and critical thinking. Experts in new media may also have relevant insight into questions around safeguarding concerns and other risks arising from rapidly-developing technology such as generative AI, algorithmic amplification and addictive design features. 
  • Philosophy, Political Theory, Science and Technology Studies: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as critical thinking, as well as questions around children's digital rights, their rights to privacy and rights to participate, express themselves and access information online; protecting children from online harm; incorporation of children's voices in the development of legislation and guidance; the evolving nature of digital risks; the specific rights and needs of vulnerable groups; and/or inequalities of access and disparities in digital literacy.
  • Social Anthropology: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as creativity, critical thinking, and oracy. Social anthropologists working on critical and/or practice-based approaches to the studies of creative and performing arts, archaeology, history, language, law, literature and/or religion may have relevant insight for this inquiry. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 10 April 2026
 
Relevant disciplines: Architecture and Design, Classics, Creative Industries, Dance, Drama and Theatre Studies, Education, Geography, Information and Communication Studies, Languages and Literature, Law, Library and Information Studies, Linguistics, Media and Communication Studies, Music, Philosophy, Political Theory, Science and Technology Studies, Social Anthropology
 
 
China and the UK economy
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Submit evidence to a select committee inquiry into: China and the UK economy. The Business and Trade Committee will scrutinise the Government's approach to economic integration with China. The Committee will consider potential benefits to the UK economy, vulnerability to competition, and what measures the UK Government could and should use to support UK firms in creating a level playing field with China. They have a focus on (among other things)

  • the service sector, including tourism
  • how the Government does and should make decisions about economic relations with China, and questions around economic coercion, dependence, risks and security
  • strategic technologies including artificial intelligence and mobile apps
  • the Committee will consider the Government's decision-making framework for evaluating trade relations with China, mitigation of risks, effective measures for ensuring that forced labour is eliminated from UK supply chains, security and the potential role of export controls

Deadline to submit evidence: 10 April 2026
 
Relevant disciplines: Creative Industries, Cultural and Museum Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Heritage Studies, Information and Communication Technologies, Law
 
 
Electronic Voting
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Electronic Voting. The Procedure Committee is interested in the potential merits and pitfalls of introducing electronic voting arrangements for divisions (votes) in the House of Commons. They are interested in:

  • lessons from similar temporary arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as impacts on other procedures of the House. Political and constitutional historians may have useful insight;
  • the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics, and the general impact of electronic voting on other procedures of the House. Lawyers and constitutional legal scholars may have useful insight;
  • potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Philosophers working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight;
  • potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Political theorists working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight.

No deadline to submit evidence.

Relevant disciplines: History, Law, Philosophy, Political Theory

Call for Proposals: Cambridge Climate and Nature Research Showcase, 26 June 2026
12 April 2026, 23.59 deadline to submit proposal 

We invite you to submit your proposal to participate in the inaugural Cambridge Climate and Nature Research Showcase, on Friday 26th June 2026 at the Ray Dolby Centre. 
 
This one‑day event aims to bring together Cambridge researchers from all disciplines addressing climate change and/or nature conservation, showcasing world‑leading research on energy, materials, infrastructure, conservation, food, health, policy, law, and more.  All researchers from postgraduates to professors across all six Schools are welcome to apply to present their research at this inaugural pan-University event.
 
Call for Proposals: Please submit your proposal by Sunday 12th April, 23.59pm.
 
Options to showcase your research:

  • Lightning Talk: 3 minutes to speak, one single slide. 
  • Poster: A0 in size (841 x 1189 mm), portrait orientation.
  • Exhibit/Stand: allocated table/space to showcase your research group/institute's work.

Registration to attend the Showcase will open later in March.
 
Any questions or suggestions: please get in touch with the organising team at comms@zero.cam.ac.uk

NCACE Festival of Cultural Knowledge Exchange
20-24 April 2026

 The festival aims to celebrate and shine a light on collaborative research activities, cultural knowledge exchange and all kinds of partnerships between universities and the arts and cultural sectors and the communities of interest they serve.
 
Throughout the festival we aim to:

  • showcase some of the brilliant collaborations taking place between universities and the arts and culture sector and the transformative impacts of such work
  • inspire fresh thinking about the values, scope and possibilities of cultural knowledge exchange and the vibrant networks and connections they foster
  • encourage conversation, knowledge-sharing, discussion and debate on a host of topics, while creating opportunities for further collaboration

We hope it will inspire new ideas, spark rich discussion and encourage fresh approaches to working together. Please note, you will need to book tickets for individual festival events.

Towards an ERC Advanced Grant: from groundbreaking idea to successful proposal
Online workshop, 29 April 2026
[REGISTER]

The event aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the ERC Advanced Grant scheme, offering participants the opportunity to hear first-hand experiences from ERC Grantees, Panel Members and Scientific Officers. This workshop is organised by mERCury, the NCP network for the European Research Council.More information about the network is available at: https://mercuryncp.eu/

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 Call Information Webinar
14 May 2026, 10:00 to 12:00
Online

The UK National Contact Point for the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is holding an information webinar for organisations and individuals interested in applying to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call (opening date: 9 April 2026, and deadline: 9 September 2026).

The webinar aims to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the call, including the eligibility criteria, budget, and other points for consideration.

The event is aimed at researchers and other staff in UK academic and non-academic organisations, including industry and funding organisations, who are interested in the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call.

Programme outline

The webinar will cover the following topics:

  • Overview and Eligibility Rules
  • Funding
  • Novelties 2026-2027 Work Programme
  • Submission and Evaluation Criteria
  • Question and Answer Session

 

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

March 2026

If you want to discuss funding opportunities or you are working on an application for research funding and would like feedback on a draft, please do contact the School’s Research Facilitators – Anna Cieslik (UK Funding) and Elizabeth Penner (EU/International Funding).  For Impact related queries please contact Lucy Sheerman (Impact Facilitator).

You can find more information on the AHSS Research Website, search our External Funding Deadline Calendar and look at Previous Bulletins.  We are also now on Twitter! Follow us for updates on funding calls and information sessions.

UK Research Council Funding

 

EU Funding

Charity Funding

Internal Funding

Training & Other

 

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept

Summary: Your proposed activities should galvanise arts and humanities research previously funded by AHRC/UKRI to deliver meaningful real-world change through significant economic, social, cultural, or policy impact.

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept Opportunity aims to:

  • facilitate ambitious arts and humanities projects to realise measurable, real-world change
  • provide flexible support for innovative pathways to impact, whether projects are pivoting to new contexts and collaborations, amplifying existing impact activity or at the early stage of developing commercialisation outcomes
  • sustain and maximise excellent models of co-design, co-development and partnership working to deliver tangible outputs that demonstrate the transformational benefits of arts and humanities research
  • encourage and enable a range of pathways to impact between arts and humanities research and a variety of user communities, including business, third sector and heritage sector, public policy, voluntary and community groups, or the general public
  • celebrate and support meaningful arts and humanities contributions to economic growth and government priorities.

Award: Up to £150,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the fEC for projects up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open call

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: ESRC React Awards

Summary: React awards enable time-critical research to support policymakers and practitioners delivering frontline public services in the UK. Researchers must work with public sector partners to respond to emerging and urgent evidence needs and deliver impactful outputs within six months.

To facilitate this, the pilot will be open to applications on a responsive basis and use a streamlined decision process, allowing proposals to be assessed, funded and start delivering within weeks. Successful projects will be expected to start within a month of funding confirmation.

A central objective of this opportunity is to allow researchers to support urgent policymaker or practitioner evidence needs in the UK. Therefore, applications will be required to include at least one collaborating partner from the UK public sector who needs and is able to action the planned project outputs within six months of them being produced. Partnerships must be confirmed at the time of application, fully aligned in terms of activity objectives, and able to begin the collaboration immediately from the start of an award.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months. Projects must start within one month of funding confirmation. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £100,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: ESRC Connect Awards

Summary: Connect awards foster connections between researchers to scope, seed and grow emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. The opportunity provides a space for early collaboration on ideas within and beyond the social sciences that are novel, exploratory and high-risk, helping to build the foundations for future strategically important research and innovation.

We will be looking for applications that bring researchers together, forming new collaborations across disciplines, or bringing together different fields of research to develop high-risk, exploratory or unconventional research ideas and approaches.

The size and length of awards will give researchers from different backgrounds the space to test the potential of emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. Proposals should outline how collaborations will be developed and new areas of inquiry tested, for example, by applying ideas or methodologies from one field to another to stimulate new insights and challenge existing assumptions.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months, with projects expected to start on 1 October 2026. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £150,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Northern Ireland Election Study 2026 to 2031

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this opportunity will be:

  • to identify a team and host institution to lead Northern Ireland Assembly and UK General Election studies in Northern Ireland between 2026 and 2036
  • to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election and the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Northern Ireland


ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

  • produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
  • promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
  • collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates


Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC New Investigator Grants

Summary: The ESRC have announced their New Investigator Grant scheme. This scheme is suitable for early career researchers who have yet to make the transition to be an independent researcher. Proposals are welcome in any topic which falls within ESRC’s remit, including projects at the “interface with the wider sciences”, provided that social sciences accounts for at least 50% of the proposed research.
 
University Internal selection
The ESRC expect the University to run an internal selection process to ensure that we submit only bids from outstanding individuals with the potential to become the research leaders of the future. The University may only submit a limited number of applications. To meet these requirements, this call will be overseen by a cross-school Committee, as decided by University’s Research Policy Committee. 
 
There are three internal calls every year (MT, LT and ET).  Only applicants whose proposals have been approved through the internal selection process will be allowed to proceed with submission of their applications to ESRC. 
 
Interested applicants should submit an online application.   
 
You will be required to upload the following:

  • Your research project proposal (template found here) 
  • A letter of support from your Head of Department 
    • This letter is very important to the success of the application as it is needed to confirm the details of the departmental support and the applicant’s eligibility. The letter must also specify a department/faculty based mentor, and a reviewer, both of whom have agreed to provide feedback on the full proposal, should the applicant be selected to proceed. The reviewer may be from within or outside the applicant’s department/faculty. Please note that naming a reviewer is an internal requirement, and the reviewer will not be named on the full application to ESRC. The mentor and the named reviewer will be expected to provide feedback on the full proposal prior to submission to ESRC. This will be coordinated by the School Research Facilitator.
  • A Worktribe report
    • The report should show the preliminary costing for the project, including the cost of the applicant’s salary and research assistance (if required).The costing should be created as a full project with submission set to 2150  - not a standalone costing. A UKRI Submission Report should be run. The Worktribe report should not be submitted for ROO approval at this stage; the costing is for indicative purposes only, to inform the internal selection. It will be possible to modify it after the internal selection. Please attach it as a .pdf document, rather than an Excel file. 

Award: The ESRC will award grants of between £100-350K (covered at 80%fEC).

Internal Deadline: 13 March 2026, internal selection deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any questions, please write to ESRCNewInv@admin.cam.ac.uk.

UKRI Translation: Proof of Concept

Summary: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has pre-announced their UKRI Translation: Proof of Concept call, due to open on the 4th March, to support the commercialisation of research.
 
This opportunity aims to support and accelerate the development of new or improved technologies, products, processes, and services arising from research activities. Supporting early-to-mid stage commercialisation activities that validate the development of concepts that arose from research, applications are welcomed from across all research disciplines and research councils’ remit (AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC and STFC) including cross and multi-disciplinary approaches.

This scheme aims to fund projects that are not eligible for funding applications via existing UKRI funding opportunities or those projects that have been funded by other mechanisms and that now require further de-risking at a larger scale. The programme will not support fundamental or curiosity-driven research, discovery research, the simple extension or continuity of on-going work between research grants, public engagement activities, or the filing of intellectual property, for example, patent, trademark or registered design. The full economic cost (FEC) can be up to £250,000 for 9 months duration (please note this change from the first round) with a minimum of £100,000. UKRI will fund 80% FEC. For further information, see the call webpage here.

University Internal selection:  

Please note that unlike the first round, there is no expression of interest stage for this call. The University can only submit 4 applications. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure. 

To participate in the internal selection process, please complete our online form by 19th March 2026. NB: if asked to log-in, please use your crsid/Raven details.

You will need the following documents and information to complete the online form:  

  • Applicant name, department and email address
  • Project title
  • Project summary (maximum 800 words):
    • Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
      • the user needs and market opportunity your project addresses
      • the aims and objectives and how you are addressing this challenge
      • the proposed route to applications and markets
      • the benefits to potential users or customers
    • And briefly describe how the team has the relevant experience and right balance of skills to deliver the proposed work
  • Applicant’s brief CV (maximum 3 pages): DORA principles should be considered when presenting research outputs
  • A List of members of the core team and their roles
  • Head of Department support letter confirming support for the application


Internal Assessment Criteria: 
Please note that the assessment of internal applications will be carried out by a specialist panel with knowledge of Proof of Concept, focussing on the following core funder criteria: 

  • Opportunity: the project is timely given current trends and has the potential to address a business need, technological challenge, or exploit a market opportunity
  • Route to market: how the proposed project progresses the innovation towards its intended users or markets
  • Team capability to deliver: the individual or team has the relevant experience and right balance of skills to deliver the proposed work

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) can be up to £250,000 up to nine months duration. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. We aim to support a range of projects across both the cost, length and remit permitted.

Important Dates:
UKRI Webinar: 18 March 2026 2:00pm to 3:00pm UK time (registration details TBC when call opens)
Internal selection deadline: 19th March 2026
UKRI Webinar: 25 March 2026 10:00am to 11:00am UK time (registration details TBC when call opens)
UKRI Webinar: 14 April 2026 3:00pm to 4:00pm UK time (registration details TBC when call opens)
Funder deadline: 4pm, 13th May 2026 

Internal Deadline: 19 March 2026, internal restricted call deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk. 

UK-Ireland collaboration in the creative economy: research networking awards

Summary: AHRC and Research Ireland are collaborating on a new research programme that will deliver transformational impact on creative economy research between the UK and Ireland. The programme will exploit complementary strengths in the creative economy between centres of excellence in both countries, leading to new and sustainable collaborations and strengthening world-class research and industry capacity across the UK and Irish ecosystems.

Award: Maximum £35,000. Each network must commence by 30 September 2026 and the grant will be for a fixed term of 12 months.

Funder Deadline: 24 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Metascience research grants round 2

Summary: This funding opportunity aims to accelerate the generation of evidence on how we can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusivity of the research and development (R&D) ecosystem. For this round, we are interested in how the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape , how to optimally design and lead research institutions; and how to measure and understand scientific progress at scale.
In this funding opportunity, we are focussing on three themes to build our metascience portfolio. Applications should fit under one of the following themes.

Science of AI for Science:
How the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape, how this helps and/or hinders scientific progress, and how governments, industry and funding organisations should respond.

Effective design and leadership of research organisations
This includes empirical comparison of institutional models, the drivers of programme manager and research performance, the application of evidence from management and behavioural science to improve organisational structures and practices in research environments, and the effectiveness of interventions to support inclusive, high-performing research cultures.

Scientometric approaches to understanding research excellence, efficiency, and equity
This includes the development, validation, and generalisable use of metrics and indicators to assess research quality, influence, and impact, the development or application of indicators to advance the curation and synthesis of science at scale, and the behavioural consequences of metric use in research evaluation and funding decisions.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £250,000 or £350,000 with an international partner. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 23 April 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Marie Jahoda Innovation Fund

Summary: The Marie Jahoda Innovation Fund offers opportunities for the wider research community to collaborate with us to advance and complement our research programme. We are now inviting applications for the first round of funding to support innovative research projects examining digitalisation and work. Proposals should align with our research programme and relate to how digital technologies are transforming work.

Our five research themes address:
•    Digital ecosystem governance
•    Technology adoption in organisations
•    Skills development and associated employee awards
•    Understanding of how digitalisation affects healthy working lives
•    Impacts on the location of jobs, regional development and the environment

Award: Funding is available for projects which cost between £10,000 to £40,000 (full economic cost). Projects must be costed at 100% full economic cost (fEC) and will be funded at 80% fEC.  

Funder Deadline: 28 April 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Megan McMichael, Centre Manager, digit@sussex.ac.uk.

British Election Study 2027 to 2032

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this funding opportunity will be:

  • to identify a team and host institution to lead the British Election Study (BES) between 2027 and 2037.
  • to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Great Britain, and surveys aligned to local elections.


Our objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

  • produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
  • promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
  • collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: 14 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

What Works Centre (WWC) for local employment support

Summary: The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are jointly inviting proposals for an independent, co-created What Works Centre (WWC) to identify, develop, test, and evaluate evidence-based locally delivered employment and labour market support to help people access, remain in, and thrive in work.

The What Works Centre for local employment support will focus primarily on the role and effectiveness of local and regional government levers to increase and sustain local labour force participation rates, with an emphasis on the role and effectiveness of locally-delivered active labour market policies (ALMPs) and other ‘active’ interventions aimed at achieving positive employment outcomes.

You are encouraged to adopt a whole-systems approach that drives collaboration and leverages evidence from across interconnected policy areas to improve local employment outcomes. We welcome proposals that look beyond traditional employment measures to include employment-related interventions in, for example, health, transportation, housing, and regional development, addressing the wider factors that shape people’s ability to access and sustain work.

Proposals must include team members and project partners from outside academia.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £15 million. ESRC and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding is for a single award. The project must begin by 22 January 2027 and run for 60 months.

Funder Deadline: 19 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

2026-27 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

With the publication of the 2026-27 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read. This PDF [here] also outlines specific opportunities for AHSS researchers.

The European Commission adopted the main Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027, a €14 billion investment designed to drive research and innovation (R&I) across the EU's strategic goals. These goals include achieving climate neutrality, boosting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and innovation, and ensuring resilience in a rapidly changing world.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding)

 

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

You can sign up for our free daily EU grants and funding newsletter (English) by filling out this form. A digest of upcoming funding opportunities will arrive directly to your mailbox. If you would like to access all funding opportunities on our portal, you need to subscribe to the membership.

ERC Advanced Grant

Summary:The ERC Advanced Grant is for established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements in the last 10 years. PIs should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions.

Award: € 2.5 million for a period of 5 years. An additional € 1 million can be requested to cover start-up costs, the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities. 

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Plus Grant

Summary: The ERC Plus Grant supports outstanding principal investigators who address major scientific challenges. Applications for ERC Plus Grants should be for projects that could not be carried out with a regular ERC grant. Applicants should explain how the proposed project goes beyond the scope of a regular ERC project, for example because it aims to transform the field or open new avenues of research. 

Scholars at all career stages can apply for an ERC Plus Grant if they have an outstanding record of scientific achievement at the forefront of their field. Their intellectual leadership will be evaluated in accordance with their career stage. A researcher will be allowed to hold only one ERC Plus Grant in their lifetime. 

Applications can be made in any field of research. The ERC's grants operate on a 'bottom-up' basis without predetermined priorities. 

Award: Up to €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding for projects a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) and with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. 

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Proof of Concept

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

Proof of Concept Grants aim at maximising the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.

Award: A lump sum of € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Synergy Grant

Summary: The aim of the Synergy Grant is to support a small group (hereafter, the Synergy Grant Group) of two to four innovative and active Principal Investigators jointly addressing ambitious research problems that cannot be tackled by any single Principal Investigator and their team alone. Principal Investigators of any professional seniority, and with a competitive track record matching their career stage can apply. One of the Principal Investigators (except the Corresponding Principal Investigator) of the Synergy Grant Group may be hosted and engaged by an institution outside of the EU or an Associated Country.

Award: Up to a maximum of € 10 million for a period of 6 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). An additional € 4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Funder Deadline: TBC, likely October/November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Being Human Festival Institutional Grant

Summary: Applications for Being Human Festival 2026 are now open! Being Human Festival 2026 will take place from 5 - 14 November with the theme Crossroads. Each year we invite humanities researchers and staff from universities and research organisations to apply to take part in the festival by organising a public engagement event, activity or project. We offer two types of grants to enable events and activities to take place as part of the festival: Institutional Grants and Festival Event Grants.

Award: Institutional Grants offer £4,000–£8,000 to coordinate and deliver a Festival Hub. Festival Event grants offer up to £4,000 to run a single event or multiple events as part of the festival.

Funder Deadline: 16 April 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: beinghuman@sas.ac.uk

Domestic Violence against Women and Girls

Summary: Our Public Health Research (PHR) Programme invites applications in response to specific research questions. These have been identified, developed and prioritised for their importance to stakeholders including the Department of Health and Social Care and other relevant government departments, devolved administrations, policy makers, local government, commissioners of public health services, public health leaders, public health practitioners, the third sector and the general public. Funded research will evaluate the effectiveness of community interventions that support female survivors and victims of domestic abuse in mitigating physical and mental health impacts. 

Research question:
How effective are community interventions supporting female survivors and victims of domestic abuse in mitigating physical and mental health impacts?

This is a 2-stage funding opportunity. To apply for the first stage you should submit an outline application. If invited to the second stage, you will then need to complete a full application.

Award: No limit. When applying, you should submit a thorough, realistic, and accurate costing. We will look at information you submit to assess value for money. Please see funding application guidance for further information.

Funder Deadline: 21 April 2026, Mandatory Outline Stage

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

Award: Applications are invited for a minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000.  A Visiting Professorship must last at least 3 months. Grants between 3 and 6 months must be completed in one visit. Grants between 6 and 12 months can be spread over two or more visits, with 12 months being the maximum duration for a visit.

Funder Deadline: 01 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 21 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
.
Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 28 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Research Centre

Summary: The Trust invites applications for Leverhulme Research Centres that will not only conduct research of outstanding originality but also aspire to achieve a significant step-change in scholarship. The Trust aims to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic. Applicants are, therefore, invited to be bold in compiling their bids. The centres should have the capacity to become recognised internationally for excellence in their chosen area. 

The Trust has a reputation for encouraging higher-risk research, which is therefore often fundamental or curiosity-driven – so-called ‘blue skies’ – and multi-disciplinary. The expectation is that centres will draw upon a range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise, perhaps bringing new disciplinary mixes to bear on a particular topic. 

Award: Up to £10 million is available for up 10 years.

Funder Deadline: February 2027. This will be a restricted call.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and the Research Strategy Office.

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

All Council Harmonised IAA Impact Starter Fund Call 2024-2025

Summary: Impact Starter funding will be available on a rolling basis to fund short-term projects of up to three months duration. Projects are expected to be short, cost-effective ways of kick-starting impact creation from research findings. The Impact Starter Fund will only consider projects that do not qualify for other IAA funding calls.

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Impact Funding Callout

Summary: The University of Cambridge AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the Social Science Impact Fund (SSIF) will open during Michaelmas term. 

The overall purpose of this fund is to support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities. Awards will be made available to fund work that will significantly increase the probability of the ideas and findings generated by the research having a non-academic impact on the private, public, and third sectors. Collaborative, innovative, and co-funded projects are encouraged.  

Full information on eligible projects and the application process will be circulated as soon as possible.  

Award: Awards will be made in the region of £5,000 to £25,000, covering 100% of directly incurred costs but not indirect costs.  

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application. Preliminary discussions ahead of the call opening are welcome.

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Impact Starter Fund Call 2025-2026

Summary: The Impact Starter Fund sits within the schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities wider AHSS impact hub, providing a supportive space for researchers to explore early-stage impact and knowledge exchange ideas. As the first step to achieving impact, it helps researchers develop skills, explore approaches, build the collaborations needed for creating real-world impact, and longer-term engagement with partners and collaborators. 
 
At a glance: 

  • Funding available up to £15,000 per project   
  • Rolling call with no deadline  
  • Project duration can be up to 6 months, and all funds must be spent within the project timelines  
  • Activities must demonstrate a link with underpinning research  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider novel and innovative approaches to participatory methods and knowledge exchange  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider ways in which projects might contribute to the broader culture of engagement and collaboration,  develop researchers’ skills, partnerships, participatory methods, and knowledge exchange approaches. 

 
All AHSS Researchers (post PhD) and UTOs are eligible to apply.
 

Award: Between £10,000–£15,000 to support 3–6 month projects.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application.

Enhanced Funding Scheme

Summary: Enhanced funding to deliver researcher development activities for PhD students is available to Departments and Faculties by application to support high-cost events and any activities involving external speakers or specialists.

Examples of activities funded in the past include workshops on the topics of communication and managing difficult conversations, translating research into practice, unconscious bias, self-confidence, etc.

Award: The budget for Enhanced Funding is £60k per annum. There is no specific funding envelope per round of applications); decisions will be made based on the quality of the proposals received. Expenditure and available funds will be kept under review by the central PgED team and Schools will be kept informed of progress.

Funder Deadline: 13 April 2026

Contact: Dr Sonja Tomašković at st560@cam.ac.uk

Isaac Newton Trust Emergency Bridge & Underwriting

Summary: Designed to provide support for emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration between 3 and 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Isaac Newton Trust Project Start-up Grants

Summary: Designed to support the establishment of new, stellar quality, visionary projects. Trustees will be looking for relevant expertise and the attainment of results in the time available. Applications could be for seed-corn funding, collecting pilot data, or similar start-up or exploratory research.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 12 months

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Isaac Newton Trust Fellowship Support

Summary: Designed to contribute match or top-up funding towards an externally awarded Early Career Fellowship to be held at the University. This may include salary or consumables support. Please note that the INT supports the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships under a different scheme.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 3 years.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Early and Mid-Career Academic Mentoring Scheme - Expressions of Interest
Currently open

Following a successful pilot, the Early-Mid Career Academic Mentoring Scheme will run for a second year in Easter Term 2026.
 
The scheme is designed to support early–mid career academics in their professional development, leadership capability, career confidence, and wellbeing. Mentoring conversations provide a confidential space for guided reflection, personal development, and exposure to new perspectives. Mentees will be matched with mentors from outside their department and immediate area of work, creating a supportive and impartial environment.
 
The scheme is open to prospective mentees who are staff at grades 9–10 on either a Research & Teaching or Teaching & Scholarship contract. We’re particularly keen to hear from new mentors who are Senior Academics (grade 11 and above).
 
If you are interested in being a mentee or mentor or would like to find out more, please complete this short Expression of Interest form or contact LOD@admin.cam.ac.uk. Please note that submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee a place on the scheme.

Opportunities for the Arts and Humanities research community to engage with Parliament
Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament
 

Expressions of Interest: Round Table Discussions
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Express your interest in participating in round table discussions with a select committee. A parliamentary select committee is seeking 20 experts to participate in round table discussions and to support future engagement and consultation on related topics. The committee is interested to hear from researchers with expertise or insight into matters relating to the Backbench Business Committee, the Petitions Committee, the role of backbench MPs, or the organisation of parliamentary business. Experts able to provide an international perspective may have relevant insight for this committee.

Deadline to express interest: midnight on 08 March 2026
  
Relevant disciplines: Development and Area Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Law, Political Theory


Children and Young Adults in the Secure Estate
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Children and Young Adults in the Secure Estate. The Justice Committee is interested in (among other things):

  • whether the placement of children as young as 10-12 years old in custody is appropriate, and how their specific rights, such as access to education, are being upheld. Legal scholars working on children's human rights may have useful insight;
  • whether the placement of children as young as 10-12 years old in custody is appropriate, and how their specific rights, such as access to education, are being upheld. Philosophers working on children's human rights may have useful insight;
  • whether the placement of children as young as 10-12 years old in custody is appropriate, and how their specific rights, such as access to education, are being upheld. Political theorists working on children's human rights may have useful insight.


Deadline to submit evidence: 13 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Law, Philosophy, Political Theory
 

Road Safety Strategy
Reminder: Contribute evidence to a select committee inquiry into: Road Safety Strategy. The Transport Committee is launching an inquiry to examine the potential effectiveness of the Government's recently-published new Road Safety Strategy, setting out its approach to reducing death and serious injury. The Committee is interested in (among other things) the extent to which:

  • the design of vehicles and of roads (especially in rural areas) can improve safety. Designers working in this area may have useful insight for the inquiry;
  • lessons can be learned from Sweden and any other good international examples. Researchers working on this topic, and/or with specific expertise relating to Sweden, may have useful insight for the inquiry;
  • how to ensure infostructure is safe, speed limits, compliance and deterrence in relation to motoring offenses and dangerous driving, and the best means of supporting road users (including novice drivers and safe driving later in life). Human geographers working in this area may have useful insight for the inquiry;
  • questions around how to best support road users. Historians may have useful insight from past policy and/or practice for the inquiry. Deadline to submit evidence
  • measure to improve compliance and deterrence in relation to motoring offences, and the role of the type and severity of sanctions in deterring dangerous driving. Lawyers working in this area may have useful insight for the inquiry;
  • how the Government might take advantage of technology, data and innovation for safer vehicles and post collision care, including the benefits of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, response to issues such as headlamp glare, increasing vehicle size, and any other issues not being currently considered by the Government's official consultation. Researchers working on technology from an Arts and Humanities perspective (e.g. how people interact with these kinds of new technologies) may have useful insight for the inquiry.


Deadline to submit evidence: 13 March 2026.

Relevant disciplines: Architecture and Design, Development and Area Studies, Geography, History, Law, Science and Technology Studies
 

Youth Employment, Education and Training
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Youth Employment, Education and Training. Among other things, the Work and Pensions Committee is interested in:

  • whether there are any international initiatives that could be learned from in terms of providing effective support to young people not in education, employment or training. Researches working in area and development studies may have useful insight;
  • factors leading to young people not being in education, employment or training (NEET), and whether there are some people more likely to be NEETs than others, as well as examples of effective Government-funded interventions. Human geographers may have useful insight.


Deadline to submit evidence: 13 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Development and Area Studies, Geography

  
The Work of the COVID Counter-Fraud Commissioner
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: The Work of the COVID Counter-Fraud Commissioner. The Public Accounts Committee has a long-standing interest in policy delivery with relation to tackling fraud against the public purse. As part of its ongoing scrutiny of work to recover money lost to fraud and error during the Covid-19 pandemic, and of government's efforts to protect the taxpayer from fraud more generally, the committee will take evidence from the COVID Counter-Fraud Commissioner. Lawyers and legal experts may have relevant expertise.

Deadline to submit evidence: 16 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Law
  

Government compensation schemes
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Government compensation schemes: update. The Public Accounts Committee will take evidence from senior responsible government officials following the National Audit Office's 2025 and forthcoming 2026 report on the design and implementation of compensation schemes. The committee's inquiry will explore the challenges in planning and designing schemes across government, and how to address them to ensure such schemes are effective, timely, proportionate for those making a claim, and fair. Lawyers and legal scholars may have relevant expertise.

Deadline to submit evidence: 16 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Law


Facial Recognition for Age Verification
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Contribute to a short (1500 words) briefing by POST. The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) aims to produce a short briefing for Parliament on the topic of facial recognition for age verification. They are looking for an external expert to work with POST staff to develop the briefing, which will be impartial, relevant and timely. Among other things, this may include:

  • how effective the technology is. Designers working in this space may have useful insight;
  • issues arising from use in immigration enforcement, links to the Online Safety Act and/or human rights law. Lawyers working in this space may have useful insight
  • links to the Online Safety Act and related law. Experts in media and communications working in this space may have useful insight;
  • ethical implications of age verification. Philosophers working in this space may have useful insight ;
  • ethical implications of age verification, its use in immigration enforcement, prevalence in the UK and human rights law. Political philosophers working in this space may have useful insight;
  • how effective the technology is, especially how well it works in determining the age of children. Experts in science and technology studies working in this space may have useful insight. 

Deadline to respond: 20 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Architecture and Design, Information and Communication Technologies, Law, Media Studies, Philosophy, Political Theory, Science and Technology Studies


Impact of Serious and Organised Crime on Local Neighbourhoods
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: The impact of serious and organised crime on local neighbourhoods. The Home Affairs Committee will examine the extent of the links between serious organised crime and neighbourhood crime and explore the capacity of neighbourhood policing to support the wider police response to serious organised crime. It will investigate the extent to which the new structures outlined in the Government's White Paper on police reform will support the role of neighbourhood policing in tacking serious organised crime on high streets and in local communities, with the aim of ensuring that local, regional and national approaches work together effectively and are resourced appropriately.


Deadline to submit evidence: 20 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Geography, Law


Express your interest in joining a G20 Discussion Forum
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Express your interest in joining a G20 Discussion Forum formed by one of Parliament's policy groups. The International Relations and National Security policy Hub in UK Parliament is forming a G20 Discussion Group. It is seeking 8-10 experts on countries that are members of the G20, and on those countries' approaches to foreign policy and multilateralism. The group will focus on Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Türkiye, and the African Union. Experts on these countries/groups and/or broader experts on G20 summitry are welcome to express their interest in participating.

Deadline to express interest: 25 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Development and Area Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Geography, Law
 

Defence of the High North
Reminder: Contribute evidence to a select committee inquiry into: Defence of the High North. Researchers in diplomacy and IR may have relevant insight for the Defence Committee's inquiry, which is interested in (among other things):

  • how the UK will work with, and without, key allies and partners in the region, both within and outside NATO;
  • historians (particularly military and/or political historians) may have relevant insight for the Defence Committee's inquiry, which is interested in the UK’s defence and security interests in the High North, and identifying what are the current and emerging threats relating to the region;
  • researchers in War Studies may have relevant insight for this Defence Committee inquiry into the UK's defence and security interests in the High North, and current and emerging threats in the region.


Deadline to submit evidence: 25 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Diplomacy and International Relations, History, War Studies


Reviewing the Electricity Market
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Contribute evidence to a select committee inquiry into: Reviewing the electricity market. The Energy Security and Net Zero committee is inquiring into what reforms are needed to the UK electricity market to enable the transition to clean, lower-cost energy. Lawyers working in this area may have useful insight for the committee.

Deadline to submit evidence: 27 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Law


Electronic Voting
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Electronic Voting. The Procedure Committee is interested in the potential merits and pitfalls of introducing electronic voting arrangements for divisions (votes) in the House of Commons. They are interested in:

  • lessons from similar temporary arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as impacts on other procedures of the House. Political and constitutional historians may have useful insight;
  • the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics, and the general impact of electronic voting on other procedures of the House. Lawyers and constitutional legal scholars may have useful insight;
  • potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Philosophers working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight;
  • potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Political theorists working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight.

No deadline to submit evidence.

Relevant disciplines: History, Law, Philosophy, Political Theory

Managing your Mind: Staying Resilient in the Workplace - Prof. Steve Peters
09 March 2026, 13.30 to 15.30
Homerton College

Steve Peters, author of the UK's most popular self-help book, The Chimp Paradox, will speak in Cambridge (Homerton College) on 9th March 2026 at 13:30, in an event hosted jointly by Michael Coleman (Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Churchill College) and Jane Warwick (Faculty of Education). Attendance will be free and is open to all researchers, postgraduate students and administrators throughout the University. Seats are limited, however, so please register early if you are interested, and only if you are sure you can make it on the day.
 
Professor Peters is particularly well known for providing highly effective psychological support to many elite sportsmen and women, from Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton at the 2012 London Olympics to Adam Peaty in the Paris Olympics and snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan. However, his simple and well-communicated model for the working of the human mind that lies behind these successes is highly transferable to all endeavours, including academic research, teaching, and administration. This talk will explain how.
 
To register please use: https://spetersmanagingyourmindstayingresilientworkplace.eventbrite.co.uk/

Navigating Innovation in Women's Health: A Starter's Toolkit
11 March 2026, 15.00 to 18.00
Room B, West Hub
[REGISTER]

Curious about turning research in women’s health into commercial impact? This interactive half‑day workshop introduces the essentials of innovation, from assessing commercial value to understanding early‑stage fundraising. Connect with peers, explore practical pathways to change and leave with a starter toolkit for next steps. Open to University staff and postgraduates, with networking to follow.

European Innovation Council (EIC) and European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Lump Sum Funding Information Session
17 March 2026, 09.30 to 17.20
West Hub, JJ Thomson Avenue
[REGISTER]

The Research Office EU Team invites you to join our European Innovation Council (EIC), European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Lump Sum Funding Financial Aspects  Information Event — a chance to hear directly from UKRI’s Horizon Europe National Contact Points (NCPs) and get tailored advice on your EIC funding plans.  
Important Note: One of the attendees has a severe latex allergy. Please do not bring any latex items into the venue.
 
Morning plenary (open to all) — 09.30am to 2.20pm  
 
Hear from UKRI NCP experts: 

  • Claire Griffin — NCP & Global Innovation Lead (EIC & EIE) 
  • Chris Young — Legal & Financial NCP
  • Teresa Arumardi —   European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), UKRI

 
  What you'll learn: 

  • How the EIC works and its main funding streams 
  • What evaluators and Jury Members look for 
  • How to prepare for the EIC interview 
  • Practical insights to strengthen your EIC proposals
  • EIT Overview
  • Legal and Financial aspects of Lump Sum funding 

 
 Afternoon parallel sessions (limited places for 7 slots) — 2.30pm to 5.20pm 
 
2.30pm to 5.20pm: Pre‑booked, personalised discussions with the EIC NCP on: 

  • Proposal ideas 
  • Specific questions or challenges 
  • Planned or in‑progress applications 

 
2.30pm to 3.30pm: Session with EIT NCP on further queries on the Programme (no booking required)
 
2.30pm to 3.30pm Session with Legal and Financial NCP on further queries on legal and financial aspect of Lump Sums (no booking required)
 You can view the full event agenda on the Research Services website LINK. Please note: the event will not be recorded. 
 
Why attend? 
The European Innovation Council (part of Horizon Europe) is one of the world’s largest innovation funding programmes, with €10.1 billion supporting breakthrough technologies from lab to market. It offers: 

  • Funding across all technology readiness levels 
  • Support in areas such as advanced materials, biotech, quantum, semiconductors, hydrogen, and more 
  • Access to business coaching, mentors, and investor networks 
  • Strong pathways for European Research Council (ERC) projects to transition into EIC opportunities 

 
 If you're exploring cutting‑edge innovation, this event will help give you the clarity, insights and connections you need. 
 
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an EU body dedicated to strengthening Europe’s capacity to innovate. As part of Horizon Europe, it supports solutions to global challenges by nurturing entrepreneurial talent and fostering sustainable growth and skilled jobs across Europe.
The EIT operates through dynamic, pan‑European partnerships known as Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), which bring together leading companies, research organisations, and universities. Together with these partners, the EIT Community delivers a wide range of innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives across Europe, supporting new ideas, talent, and collaborative opportunities.
 
Lump Sum funding is used by the European Commission as a way of simplifying EU grants by reducing administrative burden and minimise financial errors, as beneficiaries no longer need to report actual costs. Lump Sum is being more widely adopted across Horizon Europe. Understanding the financial and legal aspects of Lump Sum funding enables beneficiaries to prepare stronger proposals, manage their grants more effectively, and ensure full compliance with funder terms and conditions.
 
Book your place 
Register your place by Monday 9 March 2026 using the booking form European Innovation Council (EIC), European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Lump Sum Funding Financial Aspects Information Event | Research Services
 
Places for 1:1 sessions with EIC NCP are limited and will be allocated based on your registration details and availability. 
 
Questions? Email horizongrants@admin.cam.ac.uk.  

Social Impact and Enterprise in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
18 March 2026, 09.30 to 12.30
The Glasshouse, 100 Hills Road
[REGISTER]

In this practical workshop, we will explore how innovative, co-creative and entrepreneurial approaches can enable the transformation of research outputs into real-world products and services.

From social enterprises delivering peacekeeping initiatives, to educational technologies improving best practice in UK schools, to videogames and creative assets enabling deeper engagement with cultural history, SHAPE researchers are increasingly taking entrepreneurial routes to connect with real-world beneficiaries of their research. Using case studies from academics in SHAPE disciplines, we will explore how new interventions, toolkits, technologies, training and educational materials and consultancies are created, delivered and scaled up outside of the university.

What we’ll cover:
•    What is social innovation and social enterprise?
•    Creating an innovative value proposition from your research
•    The journey of a university idea to reality
•    Understanding intellectual property in the arts, humanities and social science
•    Research funding landscape and support for SHAPE entrepreneurship

UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships Applicant Webinar
25 March 2026, 14.00 to 15.30
26 March 2026, 10.30 to 12.00

ESRC will once again be running webinars aimed at supporting early career social scientists in applying to the scheme. These will be held as Microsoft Teams presentations hosted by Tracy Davies Head of ESRC Early Career Support, and Dave Newton ESRC Research Talent Development Team Portfolio Manager.
 
We are running the same webinar on two separate dates:
 
Wednesday 25 March 2026 (2pm – 3.30pm) and Thursday 26 March 2026 (10.30am – 12noon).
 
Each webinar will start with a presentation, anticipated to last about 45 minutes, followed by plenty of time for questions and answers. The events will be suitable for both those who may have already applied by the time of the webinars and those thinking of applying.
 
We would be grateful if you could circulate this message to early career social scientists at your institution.
 
We are keen to keep the number of attendees to a manageable level for questions and answers and places at the webinars will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Could you please ask those interested in attending to register as soon as possible for their preferred date using one of the two Citizen Space links:
 
Wednesday 25 March 2026 (2pm – 3.30pm)
https://engagementhub.ukri.org/esrc-1/65bbb29b
 
Thursday 26 March 2026 (10.30am – 12noon)
https://engagementhub.ukri.org/esrc-1/9b852fd3

Horizon Europe info days - Cluster 2: Culture, creativity and inclusive society
26 March 2026, 9:30 (GMT +1:00), online
 

This information day aims to inform (potential) applicants about the 2026 topics included in the Cluster 2 'Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society' work programme 2026-2027.

Under the Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe, Cluster 2 "Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society" aims to meet EU goals and priorities on enhancing democratic governance and citizens’ participation, on the safeguarding and promotion of cultural heritage and Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs), and on to responding to and shaping multifaceted social, economic, technological and cultural transformations.

Cluster 2 mobilises multidisciplinary expertise of European social sciences and humanities (SSH) for understanding fundamental contemporary transformations of society, economy, politics and culture. It aims to provide evidence-based policy options for a socially just and inclusive European green and digital transitions and a post-COVID 19 recovery.

Future projects should deliver on the three intervention areas matching the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan (2025-2027):

  • Green transition
  • Digital transition
  • A more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe

All topics under this Cluster are expected to mainstream Social Sciences and Humanities and to include a gender dimension in their research.

Call for Proposals: Cambridge Climate and Nature Research Showcase, 26 June 2026
12 April 2026, 23.59 deadline to submit proposal 

We invite you to submit your proposal to participate in the inaugural Cambridge Climate and Nature Research Showcase, on Friday 26th June 2026 at the Ray Dolby Centre. 
 
This one‑day event aims to bring together Cambridge researchers from all disciplines addressing climate change and/or nature conservation, showcasing world‑leading research on energy, materials, infrastructure, conservation, food, health, policy, law, and more.  All researchers from postgraduates to professors across all six Schools are welcome to apply to present their research at this inaugural pan-University event.
 
Call for Proposals: Please submit your proposal by Sunday 12th April, 23.59pm.
 
Options to showcase your research:

  • Lightning Talk: 3 minutes to speak, one single slide. 
  • Poster: A0 in size (841 x 1189 mm), portrait orientation.
  • Exhibit/Stand: allocated table/space to showcase your research group/institute's work.

Registration to attend the Showcase will open later in March.
 
Any questions or suggestions: please get in touch with the organising team at comms@zero.cam.ac.uk

 

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

February 2026

 

If you want to discuss funding opportunities or you are working on an application for research funding and would like feedback on a draft, please do contact the School’s Research Facilitators – Anna Cieslik (UK Funding) and Elizabeth Penner (EU/International Funding). 

 You can find more information on the AHSS Research Website, search our External Funding Deadline Calendar and look at Previous Bulletins.  We are also now on Twitter! Follow us for updates on funding calls and information sessions.

 

UK Research Council Funding

EU Funding

Charity Funding

Internal Funding

Training

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept

Summary: Your proposed activities should galvanise arts and humanities research previously funded by AHRC/UKRI to deliver meaningful real-world change through significant economic, social, cultural, or policy impact.

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept Opportunity aims to:

  • facilitate ambitious arts and humanities projects to realise measurable, real-world change
  • provide flexible support for innovative pathways to impact, whether projects are pivoting to new contexts and collaborations, amplifying existing impact activity or at the early stage of developing commercialisation outcomes
  • sustain and maximise excellent models of co-design, co-development and partnership working to deliver tangible outputs that demonstrate the transformational benefits of arts and humanities research
  • encourage and enable a range of pathways to impact between arts and humanities research and a variety of user communities, including business, third sector and heritage sector, public policy, voluntary and community groups, or the general public
  • celebrate and support meaningful arts and humanities contributions to economic growth and government priorities.

Award: Up to £150,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the fEC for projects up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open call

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Northern Ireland Election Study 2026 to 2031

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this opportunity will be:

  • to identify a team and host institution to lead Northern Ireland Assembly and UK General Election studies in Northern Ireland between 2026 and 2036
  • to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election and the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Northern Ireland


ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

  • produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
  • promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
  • collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates


Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: British Election Study 2027 to 2032

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this funding opportunity will be:

  • to identify a team and host institution to lead the British Election Study (BES) between 2027 and 2037.
  • to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Great Britain, and surveys aligned to local elections.


Our objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

  • produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
  • promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
  • collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

DISKAH Fellowship scheme 2026-2027

Summary: The UKRI-funded DISKAH Fellowship scheme is a one-year long programme for UK-based Arts and Humanities (A&H) researchers, research technical professionals (RTPs), creative technologists and computationally oriented artists. The scheme aims to provide an opportunity to broaden engagement with UKRI Digital Research Infrastructures (DRI), including data-services and compute services, to underpin large-scale computational methods to support innovation. 

Funding is available to enable the DISKAH Fellows to join the programme and gain access to resources to develop their projects through cutting-edge Digital Research Infrastructures (DRI), build capacity, and deliver training to their communities. 

We particularly encourage project ideas which either:

  • Explore data in addition to or beyond text-based sources, such as visual, multidimensional, or multimodal data.
  • Leverage large-scale data, already available or in the process of becoming available through national data DRI, or data that you plan to deposit in national DRI services.
  • Connect or integrate data from multiple data DRI services.
  • Explore creative use of data with potential applications in the creative industries.

Award: £6,500

Funder Deadline: 20 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: If you need to discuss project ideas, please email DISKAH's PI, Dr Karina Rodriguez Echavarria K.Rodriguez@brighton.ac.uk, to book a meeting.

Metascience Sandpit: scientometrics for research assessment

Summary: The aim of this sandpit is to develop research projects that develop, validate, and critique novel scientometric indicators for use in research assessment and in metascience research.

The increasing availability of scientific output data and metadata, combined with advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning abilities in analysing semantic content, is creating the conditions for a paradigm shift in scientometrics. These developments offer the opportunity to develop new measures of research excellence and impact that go beyond traditional citation-based metrics.

This is reflected in a growing range of innovations in the measurement and understanding of research quality. These include indicators of novelty, disruption, interdisciplinarity, collaboration, quality, replicability, integrity, semantic relevance, research papers to to patents and policy and more sophisticated methods for classifying types of citations. In addition, a recent independent report REF-AI argues that there is a growing imperative to consider the potential for using large language models for assessment in the UK’s Research Excellence Framework 2029.

However, many of these indicators and methods lack validation, theoretical reflection, and deep engagement with end users and the research community. This sandpit seeks to address these challenges.

The sandpit will take place over four days, and attendance will be mandatory for selected participants over two weeks, in-person at UKRI Swindon on 15 to 16 April 2026, and remotely on 21 April and 23 April 2026.

Award: We expect to fund up to £3 million at 80% full economic cost for all research projects arising from the sandpit.

Funder Deadline: Applicants are asked to complete an expression of interest online survey to be considered for the sandpit. The closing date is 26 February 2026 at 4:00pm UK time .

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Future Leaders Fellowship Round 11

Summary: UKRI has announced their Future Leaders Fellowship Round 11 call. This scheme aims to support the most talented early career researchers and innovators who are transitioning to or establishing research independence. The number of applicants that the University of Cambridge is permitted to submit is capped at 10 for this round.  The call is  managed according to the University’s restricted calls policy. 
 
Award: Fellowships run on a 4+3 year model. There is no minimum or maximum project cost. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC). The host institution is required to provide match-funding for tapered salary support throughout the fellowship. They also need to confirm an open-ended position to be taken up by the Fellow at the end of the fellowship. These requirements need to be met from the resources within the Departments/Faculties. 

Internal Deadline: 02 March 2026, deadline for Departments to submit nominations to Schools.

Research Facilitation Contact: Interested candidates should contact the host department for further details on the nomination process.

ESRC New Investigator Grants

Summary: The ESRC have announced their New Investigator Grant scheme. This scheme is suitable for early career researchers who have yet to make the transition to be an independent researcher. Proposals are welcome in any topic which falls within ESRC’s remit, including projects at the “interface with the wider sciences”, provided that social sciences accounts for at least 50% of the proposed research.
 
University Internal selection
The ESRC expect the University to run an internal selection process to ensure that we submit only bids from outstanding individuals with the potential to become the research leaders of the future. The University may only submit a limited number of applications. To meet these requirements, this call will be overseen by a cross-school Committee, as decided by University’s Research Policy Committee. 
 
There are three internal calls every year (MT, LT and ET).  Only applicants whose proposals have been approved through the internal selection process will be allowed to proceed with submission of their applications to ESRC. 
 
Interested applicants should submit an online application.   
 
You will be required to upload the following:

  • Your research project proposal (template found here) 
  • A letter of support from your Head of Department 
    • This letter is very important to the success of the application as it is needed to confirm the details of the departmental support and the applicant’s eligibility. The letter must also specify a department/faculty based mentor, and a reviewer, both of whom have agreed to provide feedback on the full proposal, should the applicant be selected to proceed. The reviewer may be from within or outside the applicant’s department/faculty. Please note that naming a reviewer is an internal requirement, and the reviewer will not be named on the full application to ESRC. The mentor and the named reviewer will be expected to provide feedback on the full proposal prior to submission to ESRC. This will be coordinated by the School Research Facilitator.
  • A Worktribe report
    • The report should show the preliminary costing for the project, including the cost of the applicant’s salary and research assistance (if required).The costing should be created as a full project with submission set to 2150  - not a standalone costing. A UKRI Submission Report should be run. The Worktribe report should not be submitted for ROO approval at this stage; the costing is for indicative purposes only, to inform the internal selection. It will be possible to modify it after the internal selection. Please attach it as a .pdf document, rather than an Excel file. 

Award: The ESRC will award grants of between £100-350K (covered at 80%fEC).

Internal Deadline: 13 March 2026, internal selection deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any questions, please write to ESRCNewInv@admin.cam.ac.uk.

International Placement Scheme 2026

Summary: Apply for a funded placement at an international institution. Placements are available at the following institutions:

  • United States: Harry Ransom Center, Huntington Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Yale Centre for British Art
  • Japan: National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU)
  • China: Shanghai Theatre Academy

Award: £1,000 for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for travel to Japan and China) and £2,500 for each month of the placement. Applicants can apply for two to six months of funding.

Internal Deadline: For Cambridge PhD students the internal deadline for applications is 05 March 2026. 

Current students should also notify the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team by emailing research.council.funding@admin.cam.ac.uk by the end of January 2026 at the latest.  Please also confirm which institution you will be applying to.

Research Facilitation Contact: research.council.funding@admin.cam.ac.uk

UK-Ireland collaboration in the creative economy: research networking awards

Summary: AHRC and Research Ireland are collaborating on a new research programme that will deliver transformational impact on creative economy research between the UK and Ireland. The programme will exploit complementary strengths in the creative economy between centres of excellence in both countries, leading to new and sustainable collaborations and strengthening world-class research and industry capacity across the UK and Irish ecosystems.

Award: Maximum £35,000. Each network must commence by 30 September 2026 and the grant will be for a fixed term of 12 months.

Funder Deadline: 24 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Metascience research grants round 2

Summary: This funding opportunity aims to accelerate the generation of evidence on how we can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusivity of the research and development (R&D) ecosystem. For this round, we are interested in how the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape , how to optimally design and lead research institutions; and how to measure and understand scientific progress at scale.
In this funding opportunity, we are focussing on three themes to build our metascience portfolio. Applications should fit under one of the following themes.

Science of AI for Science:
How the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape, how this helps and/or hinders scientific progress, and how governments, industry and funding organisations should respond.

Effective design and leadership of research organisations
This includes empirical comparison of institutional models, the drivers of programme manager and research performance, the application of evidence from management and behavioural science to improve organisational structures and practices in research environments, and the effectiveness of interventions to support inclusive, high-performing research cultures.

Scientometric approaches to understanding research excellence, efficiency, and equity
This includes the development, validation, and generalisable use of metrics and indicators to assess research quality, influence, and impact, the development or application of indicators to advance the curation and synthesis of science at scale, and the behavioural consequences of metric use in research evaluation and funding decisions.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £250,000 or £350,000 with an international partner. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 23 April 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

2026-27 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

With the publication of the 2026-27 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read. This PDF [here] also outlines specific opportunities for AHSS researchers.

The European Commission adopted the main Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027, a €14 billion investment designed to drive research and innovation (R&I) across the EU's strategic goals. These goals include achieving climate neutrality, boosting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and innovation, and ensuring resilience in a rapidly changing world.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding)

 

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

You can sign up for our free daily EU grants and funding newsletter (English) by filling out this form. A digest of upcoming funding opportunities will arrive directly to your mailbox. If you would like to access all funding opportunities on our portal, you need to subscribe to the membership.

ERC Proof of Concept

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

Proof of Concept Grants aim at maximising the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.

Award: A lump sum of € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.

Funder Deadline: 13 March 2026 and 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Advanced Grant

Summary:The ERC Advanced Grant is for established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements in the last 10 years. PIs should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions.

Award: € 2.5 million for a period of 5 years. An additional € 1 million can be requested to cover start-up costs, the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities. 

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Plus Grant

Summary: The ERC Plus Grant supports outstanding principal investigators who address major scientific challenges. Applications for ERC Plus Grants should be for projects that could not be carried out with a regular ERC grant. Applicants should explain how the proposed project goes beyond the scope of a regular ERC project, for example because it aims to transform the field or open new avenues of research. 

Scholars at all career stages can apply for an ERC Plus Grant if they have an outstanding record of scientific achievement at the forefront of their field. Their intellectual leadership will be evaluated in accordance with their career stage. A researcher will be allowed to hold only one ERC Plus Grant in their lifetime. 

Applications can be made in any field of research. The ERC's grants operate on a 'bottom-up' basis without predetermined priorities. 

Award: Up to €7 million with no possibility to request additional funding for projects a minimum of four years (48 months) and up to seven years (84 months) and with no reduction for projects that are shorter than seven years. 

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Synergy Grant

Summary: The aim of the Synergy Grant is to support a small group (hereafter, the Synergy Grant Group) of two to four innovative and active Principal Investigators jointly addressing ambitious research problems that cannot be tackled by any single Principal Investigator and their team alone. Principal Investigators of any professional seniority, and with a competitive track record matching their career stage can apply. One of the Principal Investigators (except the Corresponding Principal Investigator) of the Synergy Grant Group may be hosted and engaged by an institution outside of the EU or an Associated Country.

Award: Up to a maximum of € 10 million for a period of 6 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). An additional € 4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Funder Deadline: TBC, likely October/November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Philip Leverhulme Prize

Summary: The Philip Leverhulme Prizes are awarded to researchers at an early stage of their careers whose work has had international impact and whose future research career is exceptionally promising. The funding should be used for any purpose related to the advancement of the research or artistic practice of the Prize Winner, provided that the items of expenditure fall within the categories classically eligible for the support of the Trust. Funding is available over 2 to 3 years and is paid in two equal instalments to the Prize Winner’s employing institution. Prizes can be taken up on the first of a month between 1st December 2026 and 1st November 2027. 

Eligibility
Nominees must: 

  • have been awarded a doctoral degree not more than ten years prior to the closing date for nominations (some exceptions apply; see the eligibility requirements).
  • hold either a permanent post or a long-term fellowship in a UK institution of higher education or research that would extend beyond the duration of the Philip Leverhulme Prize. Those otherwise without salary are not eligible to be nominated. 
  • not have a clinical focus to their present and past work

Subject areas 2025
Applications will be considered within the six broad subject areas available each year. These rotate on a 3-year cycle (the current cycle is 2023, 2024 and 2025). Nominees may not be nominated for more than one prize subject in any 3-year cycle.

  • Biological Sciences
  • History
  • Law
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Philosophy and Theology
  • Sociology and Social Policy

Two areas are always excluded because substantial funding is available from other sources for applied medical research, and the Trust’s priority is to support investigations of a fundamental nature:

  • studies of disease, illness and disabilities in humans and animals
  • research that is intended to inform clinical practice or the development of medical applications

University Internal selection:  
The funder stipulates that the University can submit no more than three nominations in any prize subject. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure. We therefore ask each Department/Faculty to register and rank up to 3 nominations per prize subject. Nominations are to be made by the nominee's head of department (or equivalent).

Please submit your Department/Faculty’s nomination(s) via this online form, by 3rd March 2026 (if requested, please log-in with your Raven details; please note that a Form cannot be saved and returned to). 
 
You will need the following documents and information to complete the Form:  

  • Nominee details including name, Department and prize category. 
  • Nominee's eligibility details including 1) date when the nominee's PhD was confirmed by the awarding institution and 2) whether the nominee has a permanent position or fellowship that will outlast the Leverhulme prize 3) that the focus of the nominee's present and past work is not clinically focused.
  • A letter of support from the Head of Department/Faculty/Institute confirming their support for the project and that the respective Department is happy to host it (max. 2 pages per nominee)
  • Brief summary of reason for nomination (max. 250 words per nominee)
  • CV including the nominee's four most significant publications asterisked (max. 2 pages per nominee). Nominees should consider DORA principles when presenting research outputs.

Internal Assessment Criteria: 
 
Please note that the assessment of internal applications will focus on the following core funder criteria: 

  • Criterion 1: the nominee's work has had international impact
  • Criterion 2: the future research career of the nominee is exceptionally promising

Funder deadline: 14th May 2026

Award: £100,000

Internal Deadline: 03 March 2026, internal restricted deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk

British Academy International Fellowships

Summary: The International Fellowships programme provides support for outstanding early career researchers to make a first step towards developing an independent research career through gaining experience across international borders. Each award is expected to involve a specific and protected research focus with the award holder undertaking high quality, original research. The objectives are to:

  • Attract talented International early career researchers to establish and conduct their research in the UK;
  • Support early career researchers to pursue high-quality and innovative lines of research;
  • Provide opportunities to acquire and transfer new skills and knowledge through training and career development;
  • Foster long-term relationships through networking opportunities and the International Fellowships alumni programme.

**Please note change in institutional process: each department may only submit one application to the scheme. Under exceptional circumstances, two applications may be submitted by a single department.

Award: The International Fellowships offer support for two years and the award is offered at 80% FEC. Applicants may apply for research expenses of up to £12,000 and relocation costs of up to £8,000. Applicants will need to justify the level of research expenses and relocation costs requested in their application.

Funder Deadline: 11 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ISRF Flexible Grants for Small Grants

Summary: The Independent Social Research Foundation wishes to support independent-minded researchers to explore and present original research ideas which take new approaches, and suggest new solutions, to real world social problems. Principal Investigator(s) will lead a small group of 2-10 scholars (which may include graduate students). 

The Foundation supports innovative research which crosses established disciplinary boundaries and critically challenges incumbent theories and approaches, so as to address afresh empirical problems with no currently adequate theory or investigative methodology. Innovation may also come from controversial theoretical approaches motivated by critical challenge of incumbent theories. Projects ranging across the breadth of the social scientific disciplines and interdisciplinary research fields are welcome, and relevant applications from scholars working within the humanities are also encouraged.

Award: Up to a maximum of £7,500

Funder Deadline: 13 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Nuffield Foundation Strategic Fund

Summary: The Nuffield Foundation’s Strategic Fund is  open to ambitious, cross-cutting research  proposals that seek to address some of the  most pressing social challenges of our time.

The Strategic Fund is reserved for the funding of original, transformative ideas that have the scale and ambition to anticipate and address some of the most significant themes and  developments shaping the UK public policy agenda, now and in the future. These are major grants, typically in the range of £1–3 million and are expected to last between two and  five years. 

Strategic Fund applications should respond to one or more of our five priority questions, and/or explore the connections between them:

  • How can we build a prosperous and fair society, where people are secure
  • How can we build an inclusive society, where people thrive and feel they belong, in the context of changing
    demography and ways of life?
  • How can we ensure that rapid developments in science and technology work for people and society?
  • How can policies to address climate change be developed in a way that promotes a prosperous, fair and inclusive society? 
  • How can we build and maintain the effective, accountable and trustworthy institutions that our society and democracy need and can fulfil their potential?

Award: Between £1 million and £3 million

Funder Deadline: 16 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Genomics in Context Awards

Summary: These awards will support transdisciplinary teams to catalyse research discoveries at the intersection of genomics, humanities, social sciences and bioethics. Funded projects will be given the time and resources to create new research agendas and explore innovative ways of working.

There is a long history of exploring the social, legal and ethical contexts of genomics. This has made significant inroads into fostering more ethical and equitable practice. However, this has often been too limited and too late. Wider humanities and social science fields are underrepresented; communities or other social partners are often not centred; and these perspectives are often only included after key research decisions have already been made. This not only poses ethical challenges. It means that the discovery research potential of wider and earlier collaboration remains unrealised.

This call is aimed at addressing this issue and supporting novel, transdisciplinary teams to explore this area by enabling:

  • An increased breadth of collaborative partners – building inter- and transdisciplinary teams across genomics-related life sciences, humanities, social science and wider societal partners to purposefully engage in research at their unique intersections.
  • The earlier integration of partners – bringing new partners together at the conceptual stage of a research agenda (research ideation, design and partnership building), so that research ideas and avenues can be explored and co-developed in new and innovative ways.
  • A focus on Discovery Research – shifting the focus away from specific ethical questions, often applied at the end of a research lifecycle, to an emphasis on co-developing novel discovery research from the outset.
  • A plan for integrated collaboration across the research lifecycle that harmonises and leverages the skills and perspectives of diverse contributors. 

Award: Up to £500,000 for a project duration between 12 and 24 months.

Funder Deadline: 16 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
.
Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 26 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 31 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

Award: Applications are invited for a minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000.  A Visiting Professorship must last at least 3 months. Grants between 3 and 6 months must be completed in one visit. Grants between 6 and 12 months can be spread over two or more visits, with 12 months being the maximum duration for a visit.

Funder Deadline: 01 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 21 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Research Centre

Summary: The Trust invites applications for Leverhulme Research Centres that will not only conduct research of outstanding originality but also aspire to achieve a significant step-change in scholarship. The Trust aims to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic. Applicants are, therefore, invited to be bold in compiling their bids. The centres should have the capacity to become recognised internationally for excellence in their chosen area. 

The Trust has a reputation for encouraging higher-risk research, which is therefore often fundamental or curiosity-driven – so-called ‘blue skies’ – and multi-disciplinary. The expectation is that centres will draw upon a range of disciplinary perspectives and expertise, perhaps bringing new disciplinary mixes to bear on a particular topic. 

Award: Up to £10 million is available for up 10 years.

Funder Deadline: February 2027. This will be a restricted call.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and the Research Strategy Office.

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

All Council Harmonised IAA Impact Starter Fund Call 2024-2025

Summary: Impact Starter funding will be available on a rolling basis to fund short-term projects of up to three months duration. Projects are expected to be short, cost-effective ways of kick-starting impact creation from research findings. The Impact Starter Fund will only consider projects that do not qualify for other IAA funding calls.

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Impact Funding Callout

Summary: The University of Cambridge AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the Social Science Impact Fund (SSIF) will open during Michaelmas term. 

The overall purpose of this fund is to support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities. Awards will be made available to fund work that will significantly increase the probability of the ideas and findings generated by the research having a non-academic impact on the private, public, and third sectors. Collaborative, innovative, and co-funded projects are encouraged.  

Full information on eligible projects and the application process will be circulated as soon as possible.  

Award: Awards will be made in the region of £5,000 to £25,000, covering 100% of directly incurred costs but not indirect costs.  

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application. Preliminary discussions ahead of the call opening are welcome.

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Impact Starter Fund Call 2025-2026

Summary: The Impact Starter Fund sits within the schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities wider AHSS impact hub, providing a supportive space for researchers to explore early-stage impact and knowledge exchange ideas. As the first step to achieving impact, it helps researchers develop skills, explore approaches, build the collaborations needed for creating real-world impact, and longer-term engagement with partners and collaborators. 
 
At a glance: 

  • Funding available up to £15,000 per project   
  • Rolling call with no deadline  
  • Project duration can be up to 6 months, and all funds must be spent within the project timelines  
  • Activities must demonstrate a link with underpinning research  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider novel and innovative approaches to participatory methods and knowledge exchange  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider ways in which projects might contribute to the broader culture of engagement and collaboration,  develop researchers’ skills, partnerships, participatory methods, and knowledge exchange approaches. 

 
All AHSS Researchers (post PhD) and UTOs are eligible to apply.
 

Award: Between £10,000–£15,000 to support 3–6 month projects.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application.

Local Government AI Accelerator

Summary: New funding scheme supports collaborative research projects between University of Cambridge and local authorities.

The University of Cambridge is launching a new funding scheme to support collaborative AI research and development projects with local government partners. The ai@cam Local Government AI Accelerator will provide grants of up to £25,000 for proof-of-concept projects that address shared challenges across multiple councils.

The fund represents a new approach to AI innovation in public services, connecting academic expertise with real-world operational needs. Projects must demonstrate clear buy-in from at least one local authority partner, be led by a University of Cambridge researcher eligible to hold funding, and deliver results within 12 months.

The initiative builds on ai@cam’s work with local government partners across Cambridgeshire and beyond. Early AI adopters in local government are already demonstrating the technology’s potential in areas like social care, planning consultation analysis, and infrastructure maintenance. This collaboration aims to support councils in identifying promising AI applications and developing appropriate solutions.

Award: Funded projects will receive up to £25,000 for 9-12 months of proof-of-concept development, with ongoing support through monthly community of practice sessions and technical support clinics with ai@cam’s machine learning engineers. A final showcase will document lessons learned and explore pathways for scaling successful solutions across the sector.

Funder Deadline: 13 February 2026

Contact: If you have any questions around eligibility or the application process, please contact Jess Montgomery (jkm40@cam.ac.uk).

Special Note:

ai@cam has received a number of enquiries from local authorities looking to connect with Cambridge researchers for potential collaborative projects. If any resonate with your research interests or expertise, please feel free to reach out directly to the council contacts provided.

  1. Computer Vision & Automated Detection

Automated Fly-tipping Detection (South Cambridgeshire District Council)
South Cambridgeshire DC is exploring AI-powered detection of fly-tipping using existing camera footage from refuse collection vehicles, with the aim of shifting from reactive to proactive identification of environmental issues.

The approach could extend to detecting potholes, street lighting faults, anti-social behaviour, and drainage issues. As Greater Cambridge Shared Waste operates across Cambridge City and South Cambs, solutions would already have multi-authority reach, with clear scalability to other councils with RCV fleets. They are looking for research support to validate technical feasibility, explore appropriate AI methods and model options, understand data and infrastructure requirements (including edge processing), and shape a realistic proof of concept.

Contacts: Nicole Stimson (nicole.stimson@scambs.gov.uk) and Conor Breslin (conor.breslin@scambs.gov.uk) 
 

  1. Assessment & Service Delivery Automation

Modular Assessment Engine for Local Government (Wokingham Borough Council)
Wokingham is developing an AI-based solution for local government assessments, built on Microsoft's ecosystem (Microsoft Search, Azure AI, Power Platform). They have a working prototype for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and are now focused on validation and expansion to other assessment types.
Most local authorities face significant demand pressures around EHCPs for children with SEND, Continuing Healthcare assessments, housing assessments, and safeguarding. The aim is to create a reusable, adaptable AI capability that improves consistency and reduces administrative burden while remaining compliant with statutory guidance.
They would be interested in collaborations on research into how other local government assessments are carried out in practice, including statutory guidance, and translation into scalable digital products.
Contact: Mirza Ahsan Baig (mirza.ahsanbaig@wokingham.gov.uk)
 

  1. Predictive Modeling & Risk Assessment

Social Housing Allocation Prediction (London Borough of Camden)
Camden is looking to conduct a machine learning project on predicting allocations of social housing based on demographic characteristics of households in housing need, an interactive web-based bidding process, and the physical and geographic attributes of available homes.
Contact: Murylo Batista (murylo.batista@camden.gov.uk)
 

  1. Early Warning System for Vulnerable Tenants (Cambridge City & South Cambridgeshire District Councils)

The councils want to develop an AI tool to identify vulnerable tenants earlier and prevent crises. As major social landlords responsible for over 12,000 homes, their key data—income, repairs, vulnerabilities, damp and mould—sits in disconnected systems, often leaving risks unnoticed until people are in crisis. The aim is to develop AI-powered early-warning alerts to support proactive, risk-based, human-centred interventions. 
Contact: Zoe Cox (zoe.cox@scambs.gov.uk) or Keryn Jalli (keryn.jalli@cambridge.gov.uk)
 

  1. Multiple Predictive Applications (Huntingdonshire District Council)

Huntingdonshire has identified several potential areas for AI-supported predictive modeling:

  • Forecasting for temporary accommodation (aiming to reduce homelessness)
  • Environmental health compliance: predicting which food businesses might fall below compliance standards
  • Predictive maintenance for parks and playground assets, with better optimisation of inspection schedules
  • Hotspot identification for ASB, fly-tipping, and graffiti for more targeted interventions
  • Climate and flood risk modelling to support planning and climate strategies

Contact: Harriet Robinson (harriet.robinson@huntingdonshire.gov.uk)

6. Evidence Synthesis & Research Methods
AI for Evidence Synthesis and Public Health Evaluation (Cornwall Council)
Cornwall's Health Development and Research Centre is interested in several projects related to AI applications in public health and research:

  • Evaluating the performance of AI evidence synthesis tools for rapid evidence reviews
  • AI applications to support evaluation of public health interventions (e.g., summarising qualitative survey data, designing RCT protocols, developing population sampling frames)
  • Using AI tutors for upskilling council officers in specific research methods (e.g., learning R for particular user needs)

Contact: Dugald Foster (dugald.foster@cornwall.gov.uk)


7. Planning & Governance
 Intelligent Planning Tool (Huntingdonshire District Council)
Huntingdonshire is interested in developing some kind of intelligent planning tool that would be scalable (especially for Local Government Reorganisation) and deliver time savings.
Contact: Harriet Robinson (harriet.robinson@huntingdonshire.gov.uk)
 

8. Local Plan Evidence Summarisation (Huntingdonshire District Council)
Automated summarisation of local plan evidence, with the potential to reduce external consultancy costs.
Contact: Harriet Robinson (harriet.robinson@huntingdonshire.gov.uk) 


9. Governance & Transport Assessment (Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority)
The Combined Authority has two proposals:

  1. Governance - Local Assurance Framework quality assurance review: A defined framework for the review and approval of investment decisions. Each local council/Combined Authority/public body has to follow a central government-agreed assurance model, so there's clear potential for scalability.
  2. Transport model data assessments: Assessments of new development or infrastructure schemes. Given the proposed scale of housing developments across Cambridgeshire, this is particularly timely.

Contact: Chris Bolton (chris.bolton@cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk)


10. Transport & Infrastructure
Transport Projects Support (University Estates Division)
Jess Cunningham from the University Estates Division (Strategic Transport Projects) is engaged with GCP/Connecting Cambridge SMART team as well as the University Transport Team and is keen to support or engage with relevant projects.
Contact: Jess Cunningham (jc2014@cam.ac.uk)

-------------------------------------------------
 
Next Steps
If any of these opportunities interest you:

  1. Reach out directly to the council contacts provided - they're keen to discuss collaborations.
  2. Consider the AI Accelerator funding: Applications are for up to £25,000 and the deadline is 13 February 2026. Find out more details on how to apply.
  3. Get in touch with ai@cam if you have questions about the programme or need support making connections.

Legacies of Enslavement: Small Grants Funding

Summary: The Legacies of Enslavement Initiative offers funding to support small‑scale projects and activities that advance the aims of the Initiative. Applications are  welcome from individuals or groups across the University undertaking work that contributes to research, engagement, or understanding in this area.

[Application Form]

Award: Up to £5,000

Funder Deadline: 27 February 2026

Contact: For further questions, contact legaciesnetwork@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Legacies of Enslavement, call for proposals: Two research projects

Summary: This call invites established researchers in the University of Cambridge to propose projects in the broad field of Legacies of Enslavement. Funding will be allocated to two projects. Proposers will be the Principal Investigator and the funding allocated will support the appointment of one Post Doctoral Research Associate in each project for a period of two years. The remit of these projects is wide, encompassing either historical work across any discipline, or research that addresses contemporary legacies and afterlives of systems of enslavement and forced labour. The criteria for selection will be the excellence of the selected project’s contribution to knowledge;  its feasibility within the timeframe; and its relationship to the objectives of the Legacies of Enslavement Initiative.

[Application form]

Award: Each research project will cover the salary of a PDRA for 24 months.

Funder Deadline: 27 February 2026

Contact: For further questions, contact legaciesnetwork@admin.cam.ac.uk.

CamPo Partnership Scheme

Summary: Interested researchers active in the arts, humanities and social sciences from the six schools in the University of Cambridge and within all of Sciences Po’s research centres are invited to apply online now for collaborative grants of up to £3,000. Projects must be completed by December 2026.

Applications may be submitted via the online form: Collaborative Research.

CamPo projects should align with the following criteria for success:
 

  • The production of academic publications and public policy contributions stemming from the various research collaboration efforts;
  • The development of applications for large scale externally funding projects that include Cambridge and Sciences Po academics as co-investigators or as leading members of a wider consortium;
  • A sustainable Anglo-French collaborative research partnership in their specific area.

 
Each proposal may be submitted by either the Cambridge or Sciences Po co-applicant but must include partners from both institutions in all cases.
 
Project completion & expenditure deadline: 1 December 2026.
Outcomes: week commencing 23 March 2026.

Full scheme notes are available via this webpage link.

Award: £3,000 per project (as per this call)

Funder Deadline: 27 February 2026

Contact: For questions or support, please contact: campo@admin.cam.ac.uk

Enhanced Funding Scheme

Summary: Enhanced funding to deliver researcher development activities for PhD students is available to Departments and Faculties by application to support high-cost events and any activities involving external speakers or specialists.

Examples of activities funded in the past include workshops on the topics of communication and managing difficult conversations, translating research into practice, unconscious bias, self-confidence, etc.

Award: The budget for Enhanced Funding is £60k per annum. There is no specific funding envelope per round of applications); decisions will be made based on the quality of the proposals received. Expenditure and available funds will be kept under review by the central PgED team and Schools will be kept informed of progress.

Funder Deadline: 13 April 2026

Contact: Dr Sonja Tomašković at st560@cam.ac.uk

Isaac Newton Trust Emergency Bridge & Underwriting

Summary: Designed to provide support for emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration between 3 and 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Isaac Newton Trust Project Start-up Grants

Summary: Designed to support the establishment of new, stellar quality, visionary projects. Trustees will be looking for relevant expertise and the attainment of results in the time available. Applications could be for seed-corn funding, collecting pilot data, or similar start-up or exploratory research.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 12 months

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Isaac Newton Trust Fellowship Support

Summary: Designed to contribute match or top-up funding towards an externally awarded Early Career Fellowship to be held at the University. This may include salary or consumables support. Please note that the INT supports the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships under a different scheme.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 3 years.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Early and Mid-Career Academic Mentoring Scheme - Expressions of Interest
 

Currently open

Following a successful pilot, the Early-Mid Career Academic Mentoring Scheme will run for a second year in Easter Term 2026.
 
The scheme is designed to support early–mid career academics in their professional development, leadership capability, career confidence, and wellbeing. Mentoring conversations provide a confidential space for guided reflection, personal development, and exposure to new perspectives. Mentees will be matched with mentors from outside their department and immediate area of work, creating a supportive and impartial environment.
 
The scheme is open to prospective mentees who are staff at grades 9–10 on either a Research & Teaching or Teaching & Scholarship contract. We’re particularly keen to hear from new mentors who are Senior Academics (grade 11 and above).
 
If you are interested in being a mentee or mentor or would like to find out more, please complete this short Expression of Interest form or contact LOD@admin.cam.ac.uk. Please note that submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee a place on the scheme.

Creating Video Content for Social Media, two-day training session
 

06 February 2026, 10.00 to 13.00
06 March 2025, 10.00 to 13.00
West Hub

[BOOK NOW]

This bespoke two-session training programme is designed specifically for the West Hub community, empowering participants with practical skills and confidence in creating engaging video content for social media platforms.

Through hands-on learning, collaborative group tasks, and personalised feedback, participants will develop a comprehensive understanding of video content creation from concept to social media platforming. All training materials will be hosted on Google Drive/Google Classroom, enabling participants to access slides, make notes in real-time, complete interactive tasks, and build a collaborative learning environment throughout the programme.

NCACE Evidence Cafe: Knowledge Exchange Framework & KE Metrics
 

12 February 2026, 13.30 to 15.00
Online

In this Evidence Café session, we are delighted to invite colleagues from the Policy Evidence Unit for University Commercialisation and Innovation (UCI) - University of Cambridge to share key findings from the work they have been undertaking for Research England (RE) in developing the next generation of Knowledge Exchange (KE) data and metrics.
 
The session builds on a workshop held in collaboration between NCACE, UCI, and Royal Northern College of Music on 16th of September 2025 at The Warburg Institute that set out to explore the following questions:

  • What is the value delivered by university KE in the arts and cultural sectors
  • What types of KE should be captured in a modern KE framework?
  • How can we better assess the health of the KE system and the value it delivers?

This Evidence Café session presents an important opportunity for discussion and input to the draft report. It builds on key themes that emerged from the September workshop while creating a space for further input to the ways that knowledge exchange (KE) in the arts and humanities can be best measured, understood, valued and rewarded. You can read our blog from the September workshop.
 
Contributors include:
Dr Valeria Ramirez (UCI, University of Cambridge)
Dr Michelle Phillips (Royal Northern Conservatoire of Music)
Dr Patrycja Kaszynska (University of the Arts)
Evelyn Wilson (Co-Director, NCACE) and Dr Mai Musié (Senior Manager, NCACE)

Pathways 2 Programme
 

20 February 2026, application deadline

Pathways is a national UKRI funded programme designed to support the next generation of research and innovation leaders in the UK, for Project Leads funded by UKRI as an additional post-award development opportunity.
 
Through a combination of targeted workshops, expert-led sessions, and peer learning, the programme offers participants a semi-structured pathway to develop leadership capability, navigate career progression, and engage with the wider UK research and innovation landscape. Designed around an opt-in model, participants will have access to in-person and online activities.
 
A key feature of the programme is the creation of inclusive leadership cohorts, fostering long-term peer support, collaboration, and professional networks that continue beyond the formal programme. Participants benefit from a community of researchers and innovators who share knowledge, opportunities, and experiences, helping to accelerate leadership development across the UK.
 
The Pathways 2 programme is open to both UKRI Fellows and New Investigator Research Grant holders or equivalent targeted schemes supporting researchers in their transition to an independent research career, with the aim of helping them establish a research group, develop their own research vision, and build leadership capacity.
 
Applicants will also need to be a project lead on an active UKRI grant from January 2026 through July 2027, covering the duration of the Pathways 2 programme from point of application.
 
If you’re not sure if you’re eligible or have a query, feel free to contact us at HelloPathways@flfdevnet.com.

 

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

January 2026

 

If you want to discuss funding opportunities or you are working on an application for research funding and would like feedback on a draft, please do contact the School’s Research Facilitators – Anna Cieslik (UK Funding) and Elizabeth Penner (EU/International Funding). 

You can find more information on the AHSS Research Website, search our External Funding Deadline Calendar and look at Previous Bulletins.  We are also now on Twitter! Follow us for updates on funding calls and information sessions.

 

UK Research Council Funding

  • Pre-announcement: Northern Ireland Election Study 2026 to 2031 (TBC) ESRC
  • Pre-announcement: British Election Study 2027 to 2032 (TBC) ESRC
  • Creative Industries Clusters: round two, outline stage (14 January 2026, internal workshop; 03 March 2026, outline stage) AHRC
  • Focal awards: multilingual futures for UK growth and connectivity (26 January 2026, internal expression of interest deadline) AHRC
  • Focal awards: art history, visual arts and creative practice (26 January 2026, internal expression of interest deadline) AHRC
  • Design Generators (05 February 2026, restricted internal deadline) AHRC
  • AHRC-DFG Research Grants: Round Eight, 2025 to 2026 (11 February 2026) AHRC and DFG
  • ADR UK Research Fellowships 2025 (26 February 2026) ESRC
  • Pre-announcement: International Placement Scheme 2026 (19 March 2026) AHRC and ESRC
  • Pre-announcement: UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship Round 11 (24 March 2026, internal restricted call) UKRI
  • Metascience research grants round 2 (23 April 2026) UKRI

 

EU Funding

  • 2026-27 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social science research
  • EU Grants funding Newsletter
  • Proof of Concept (13 March 2026 and 17 September 2026)

 

Charity Funding

  • British Academy Call for proposals - Measurement of social and cultural infrastructure in the higher education sector (04 February 2026)
  • Wellcome Trust Early Career Award (17 February 2026)
  • Leverhulme Trust Research Project - Outline Application (27 February 2026) 
  • ISRF Flexible Grants for Small Groups (13 March 2026)
  • Nuffield Foundation Strategic Fund (16 March 2026)
  • Wellcome Trust Genomics in Context Awards: collaborative research at the intersection of genomics, humanities, social sciences and bioethics (16 March 2026)
  • Wellcome Trust Career Development Award (26 March 2026)
  • Wellcome Trust Discovery Award (31 March 2026)
  • Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship (01 May 2026)

 

Internal Funding

  • Large Grant Contribution Fund (rolling deadline; minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline)
  • REF Impact Fund (rolling deadline)
  • All Council Harmonised IAA Impact Starter Fund Call 2022-2026 (rolling deadline)
  • Impact Funding Callout (rolling deadline)
  • Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Impact Starter Fund Call 2025-2026 (rolling deadline)
  • Isaac Newton Trust Collection-based Research in the Humanities (30 January 2026)
  • University Diversity Fund (30 January 2026)
  • Isaac Newton Trust Strategic Awards (05 February 2026)
  • Isaac Newton Start-up Grants (05 February 2026)
  • Isaac Newton Fellowship Support (05 February 2026)
  • Isaac Newton Emergency Bridge & Underwriting (05 February 2026)
  • Local Government AI Accelerator (13 February 2026) ai@cam
  • Enhanced Funding Scheme (13 April 2026)

 

Training / Other

  • SHAPE Ideas Incubator 2025 (12 January 2026)
  • FameLab (16 January 2026)
  • Grant writing workshop – ECRs and PhD students in data science and AI (16 January 2026)
  • Applying to Nuffield Funding: Supporting Black Researchers (21 January 2026)
  • Cambridge InterActive Academy (23 January 2026, registration deadline)
  • Call for proposals: Research Culture Festival 29 April to 13 May 2026 (30 January 2026)
  • AI & SSH-STEM Collaboration Brokerage Event (25 February 2026)
  • Horizon Europe info days - Cluster 2 Culture, creativity and inclusive society (26 March 2026)

 

Pre-announcement: Northern Ireland Election Study 2026 to 2031

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this opportunity will be:

  • to identify a team and host institution to lead Northern Ireland Assembly and UK General Election studies in Northern Ireland between 2026 and 2036
  • to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election and the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Northern Ireland


ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

  • produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
  • promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
  • collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates


Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: British Election Study 2027 to 2032

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this funding opportunity will be:

  • to identify a team and host institution to lead the British Election Study (BES) between 2027 and 2037.
  • to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Great Britain, and surveys aligned to local elections.


Our objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

  • produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
  • promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
  • collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Creative Industries Clusters: round two, outline stage and workshop

Summary: AHRC’s Creative Industries Clusters bring together universities, businesses, local and regional policymakers, and private funders to drive research, innovation and growth in the creative industries. Led by UK universities, the clusters create research and development (R&D) driven commercial opportunities, strengthen regional capabilities and deliver real world impacts. They are a proven route to co-investment, leverage and the creation of jobs, skills, products and experiences that bring economic, social and cultural benefits to regions and the UK.

This is a major, institution-level funding opportunity aimed at supporting regional innovation through the arts, humanities, design, and creative sectors. The scale and structure of the programme mean that any Cambridge involvement will need to be strategically coordinated across the University, but only if there is a clear and compelling academic case to do so. 

Early indications from the AHRC suggest a strong emphasis on: 

  • regions that have not previously received Creative Cluster investment; 
  • collaboration across 2–5 HEIs; 
  • partnerships with local government, cultural institutions, and creative SMEs; 
  • and new methodological approaches that show how arts and humanities research can energise and connect local and devolved economies. 


Preliminary discussions with UEA, NUA, ARU, and the University of Suffolk have highlighted the possibility of a consortium bid centred on the cultural, environmental, and civic challenges facing Cambridge and East Anglia, and on the contribution that arts and humanities-led research can make to the region’s creative and economic life. Cambridge’s involvement would only proceed if there is a strong academic community interested in shaping such a bid and leading the research agenda. 

If AHRC’s call follows earlier rounds, Creative Clusters funding could support: 

  • multi-year R&D programmes; 
  • postdoctoral researchers and creative practitioner fellows; 
  • research partnerships with museums, archives, councils, and creative businesses; 
  • new collaborative infrastructures for practice-based and place-based work; 
  • and pathways to REF impact, KEF evidence, and sustained regional partnerships. 

 
Our aim at this stage is to understand whether colleagues see potential for their own research to contribute to such a programme and to ensure that any direction Cambridge takes is shaped by academic expertise and interests from the outset. 
 
 A workshop about this funding opportunity will be held on 14 January 2026, 12noon-2pm, at the Council Room in Old Schools. It will be used to discuss the call, explore thematic directions, identify intellectual leadership, and gauge how Cambridge’s arts, humanities and social sciences might contribute to a regional cluster, should the opportunity prove viable. 
 
If you would like to attend this workshop or if you wish to be kept informed as the call develops, register here. 

Award: AHRC will contribute funding of up to £6,750,000 per application. Except for devolved funding, AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC

Workshop date: 14 January 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Focal awards: art history, visual arts and creative practice

Summary: The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) have announced a funding opportunity to form Doctoral Focal Awards to unlock the potential of art history, visual arts and creative practice by capitalising on wide-ranging opportunities to exploit new technologies and contribute to the cultural and creative sectors. These consortium-model training grants with HEI and non-HEI partners will provide up to 25-30 doctoral studentships in total per award, to be delivered through three cohorts starting from 2026/27.

Although HEIs may take part in as many consortia as they wish, any HEI may submit a maximum of one application as the lead applicant. 

The School of Arts and Humanities is establishing a group comprised of senior academics to consider expressions of interest to identify Cambridge's lead projects for submission to the AHRC.    

Proposals must involve a minimum of one other higher education institution, and a minimum of one partner beyond academia.   
   
Projects should be designed to meet the following objectives:   

  • deliver world-class doctoral training and development including cohort experience 
  • provide opportunities for students, preparing them to follow a diversity of career paths within and beyond academia 
  • support research capacity in specific strategic areas, addressing national and global challenges and delivering UKRI’s mission to drive UK growth and improve lives, doing so through arts and humanities doctoral research and by fostering interdisciplinary approaches 
  • advance current understanding, generate new knowledge, and develop the breadth of expertise for the future of the research and innovation workforce 
  • address underrepresentation in the AHRC-funded doctoral community 
  • enable opportunities for students across art history and the visual arts to employ state of the art techniques and innovative new technologies to advance knowledge in the field and contribute to the UK economy 
  • enable innovation by enhancing collaboration between art history and creative practice 
  • enhance knowledge exchange within academia and between academia and the cultural and creative sectors for the benefit of the economy and wider society 

  
Ambition  
The theme’s ambition is to create opportunities for innovation in and across art history, visual arts, and creative practice, drawing where appropriate on allied areas such as design. This will produce a cohort of students who are equipped to contribute to UK growth, including: 

  • addressing known and anticipated skills gaps and shortages in interdisciplinary, sector-focused approaches 
  • diversifying and growing the research talent pool within and beyond academia 
  • embedding interdisciplinary working which draws on advanced techniques and technologies 
  • fostering deep connectivity with creative industries, museums, galleries and heritage organisations and other forms of professional practice. Embedding co-design of research and training to ensure direct engagement with the sector and responsiveness to sector needs 
  • training which is inclusive and sector-wide, ensuring modules, workshops, and professional development opportunities are accessible to doctoral students across the wider UK art history, visual arts and creative practice communities 
  • connecting bespoke disciplinary training to broader AHRC and institutional offers in research methods, digital skills and leadership 
  • training programmes that include creative entrepreneurship, innovation pathways and routes to impact to enable students to develop their research or careers in a commercial setting 

  
The AHRC particularly encourages applications which:  

  • bring art historians and visual art specialists into collaborations with technologists (including critical technologies and digital humanities), industry and the creative economy to address skills gaps and societal challenges and unlock new opportunities 
  • enhance innovation and contribute to the wider impacts of art history, visual arts and creative practice to support real-life applications 
  • demonstrate benefit for the wider discipline, through open training, co-supervision, or shared access to collections, archives, and digital platforms 
  • include practice-led approaches and linkages with business, management, or MBA programmes as indicators of innovation, leadership, and economic relevance 

   
Internal Expression of Interest:   
The expression of interest should not be longer than 3 pages. They should:    

  • confirm a theme the bid would be for;    
  • provide brief information on how they would address the above criteria;    
  • confirm which partners would be involved in the consortium; and    
  • which Faculties and Departments within the University would be eligible to host funded doctoral students.   

We encourage interested parties to attend the AHRC webinar on this scheme, taking place on 21 January 2026 as well as our internal information session in mid-January as well as our internal information session in mid-January. For the latter, please register your interest to receive an invitation: AHRC Doctoral Focal Awards (DFA) - Art history, visual arts and creative practice  – Fill in form.   
   
Timeline:   
16 December 2025 - Call for Internal Expression of Interest   
21 January 2026 2:00pm to 3:00pm – AHRC webinar: Register for the webinar (Zoom) 
26 January 2026 – Deadline for submitting Internal Expressions of Interest  
17 February 2026 4pm – Funder submission deadline   

Award: The consortia will train three cohorts of students undertaking a three and a half to four year doctorate on a full-time basis, or equivalent part-time. The first cohort will start in the 2026 to 2027 academic year and the final cohort will start in 2028 to 2029. The duration of this award is a minimum of six academic years.

You can apply for between 25 and 30 studentships over the lifetime of the award. Our funding profile means that slightly more studentships will be available for the last cohort, for example if you were applying for 25 studentships, the ratio would be 8:8:9.

AHRC provides funding based on up to four years per student (stipend and fees). This includes:

  • individual training and development activity for the student
  • cohort-based training and development activity
  • additional stipend for Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs) and London weighting where applicable

Internal Deadline: Please submit your internal expression of interest to the School of Arts and Humanities by 26 January 2026 to the csahoffice@admin.cam.ac.uk email address.   

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at csahoffice@admin.cam.ac.uk.

 

Focal awards: multilingual futures for UK growth and connectivity

Summary: The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) have announced a funding opportunity to form Doctoral Focal Awards to unlock linguistic and cultural expertise to build the high-level skills, innovation capacity, and global connections that underpin the UK’s growth and prosperity. These consortium-model training grants with HEI and non-HEI partners will provide up to 12-20 doctoral studentships in total per award, to be delivered through four cohorts starting from 2028/29.

Although HEIs may take part in as many consortia as they wish, any HEI may submit a maximum of two applications as the lead applicant in one.
 
The School of Arts and Humanities is establishing a group comprised of senior academics to consider expressions of interest to identify Cambridge's lead projects for submission to the AHRC.   

Proposals must involve a minimum of one other higher education institution, and a minimum of one partner beyond academia.  
  
Projects should be designed to meet the following objectives:  

  • deliver world-class doctoral training and development including cohort experience 
  • provide opportunities for students, preparing them to follow a diversity of career paths within and beyond academia 
  • support research capacity in specific strategic areas, addressing national and global challenges and delivering UKRI’s mission to drive UK growth and improve lives, through arts and humanities doctoral research and by encouraging interdisciplinary approaches 
  • advance current understanding, generate new knowledge, and develop the breadth of expertise for the future of the research and innovation workforce 
  • address underrepresentation in the AHRC-funded doctoral community 
  • enable opportunities for students across specific languages and language-grounded research areas, thereby supporting the pipeline of skilled language researchers within and beyond academia 
  • enhance collaboration and knowledge exchange within academia and between academia and other sectors for the benefit of the students, members of the focal award consortia, and wider society 

Ambition 
The theme’s ambitions, to be achieved using arts and humanities research, narrative, and innovation at doctoral level, are to: 

  • address known and anticipated research skills gaps and shortages in languages and language-grounded research (It is expected that students recruited to the focal award will have expertise in two or more languages (including their native language) to support genuinely bi-lingual or multi-lingual research) 
  • diversify and grow the research talent pool within and beyond academia 
  • encourage interdisciplinary working and co-design of research which draws on diverse multilingual and inter-cultural communities and practitioners

The AHRC particularly encourages applications which: 

  • develop models that bring language specialists into collaboration with technologists, including in critical technologies, digital humanities, industry, and the creative economy to address skills gaps, societal challenges and unlock new opportunities 
  • enhance innovation and contribute to wider impacts of language-grounded research, such as cultural, economic, environmental, policy and social impacts 
  • build on the current developments in digital technologies and research methodologies to support real-life applications that enrich language learning and expertise 
  • enable languages communities to be more sustainable and resilient 

Internal Expression of Interest:  
The expression of interest should not be longer than 3 pages. They should:   

  • confirm a theme the bid would be for;   
  • provide brief information on how they would address the above criteria;   
  • confirm which partners would be involved in the consortium; and   
  • which Faculties and Departments within the University would be eligible to host funded doctoral students.  

We encourage interested parties to attend our internal information session in mid-January. For the latter, please register your interest to receive an invitation: https://forms.office.com/e/nULNbq4ggF.  

Timeline: 
9 December 2025 - Call for Expression of Interest  
Mid-January 2026 (tbc) – Internal, online information session Register your interest 
26 January 2026 – Deadline for submitting Internal Expressions of Interest 
25 February 2026 2:00pm to 3:00pm – AHRC webinar Register for webinar 2 
21 April 2026 4pm – Submission deadline  

Award: You can apply for between 12 and 20 studentships over the lifetime of the award. AHRC’s funding profile means that slightly more studentships will be available for the first two cohorts, for example if you were applying for 14 studentships, the ratio would be 4:4:3:3. At the outline stage, an indication of the number of studentships you could support is sufficient.

AHRC provides funding based on up to four years per student (stipend and fees). This includes:

  • individual training and development activity for the student
  • cohort-based training and development activity
  • additional stipend for Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs) and London weighting where applicable

Internal Deadline: 26 January 2026, deadline for submitting Internal Expressions of Interest 

Research Facilitation Contact: Please submit your expression of interest to the School of Arts and Humanities by 26 January 2026 to the csahoffice@admin.cam.ac.uk email address.  

 

Design Generators

Summary: The AHRC has announced the Design Generators. AHRC will award £150,000-£200,000 per project (funded at 80% fec) for innovative, design-led research projects of 9-12 months duration that contribute to the green transition. The aim is to generate new arts and humanities-based approaches and methodologies that harness design to address environmental sustainability, decarbonisation, circular economies, policy design and regenerative practices. The majority of the disciplinary focus of the project must fall within AHRC’s subject remit (see section 7 of the AHRC research funding guide) and 50% of the application must comprise and evidence at least 50% design discipline coverage. The call is open to researchers across all career stages (see the Who is eligible to apply section for more information on eligibility). Every project must have a non-academic partner (examples include businesses, public sector organisations, third sector, civil society or community organisations) that supports the proposed activities and has the capacity to commit to delivering impact. 
 
For full information about the call, please see the call page. AHRC will host a webinar for this call on 11 February which those interested can register for here.
 
University Internal selection:  
Lead research organisations can only submit 2 applications and these applications must be substantively different from each other in terms of team composition and project objectives. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure. Your Department’s Research Grants Team and/or Departmental Administrator (or equivalent) must be made aware of your internal application, and a support letter signed by the Head of Department is required.  
 
To take part in the internal selection, please complete our online form by 05 February, 2026 (NB: if asked to log-in, please use your CRSID/Raven details; note that a Form cannot be saved and returned to). 
 
You will need the following documents and information to complete the Form:  

  • a document containing a list of team members, their roles in the project and their organisational affiliation(s)
  • project summary (max 900 words) addressing the 3 assessment criteria below. 
  • support letter from the Head of the Department that will host the award confirming their support for the project and agreement to host the award.

 
Internal Assessment Criteria: 
Please note that the assessment of internal applications will focus on the following core funder criteria: 

  • Vision: the proposed work is of excellent quality and importance, timely and impactful internationally as well as locally, regionally and nationally. 
  • Approach: the design is effective and appropriate to achieve the objectives, is feasible and has been designed to generate impact
  • Applicant and team capability to deliver: evidences how the applicant and, if relevant, the team has relevant experience and the right balance of skills, including leadership and management and developing a positive research environment, to deliver the work.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £200,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. These awards can be between 9 to 12 months in duration.

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026, restricted call deadline; 09 April 2026, funder deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk.

 

AHRC-DFG Research Grants: Round Eight, 2025 to 2026

Summary: Both AHRC and DFG are aware that some of the best research can only be achieved by working with the best researchers internationally. Accordingly, the aims of the funding opportunity are:

  • to support academic research of the highest quality in the humanities undertaken by UK-German teams, whose primary aim is to make fundamental advances in human knowledge
  • to deepen and strengthen cooperation between UK and German researchers in the humanities, and to foster the growth of a transnational UK-German research culture

Only applications whose primary aim is to make fundamental advances in human knowledge in the relevant fields may be submitted in response to the funding opportunity. If you are uncertain as to whether your application would be eligible you should contact AHRC or DFG for clarification.

The funding opportunity will be open to applications addressing any research topic where there is significant potential to advance knowledge through collaborative research bringing together UK arts and humanities researchers whose research falls within the remit of the AHRC, and humanities researchers in Germany.

Award: The full economic cost of the UK-component of your project can be up to £420,000. Your project can last between 24 to 36 months.

Funder Deadline: 11 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

ADR UK Research Fellowships 2025

Summary: We are looking for research proposals that utilise ADR England flagship datasets and meet the following four ADR UK Research Fellowship objectives:

  • Useful Research: act as ‘pathfinders’ for conducting research and deriving insights from the linked datasets which showcase the potential for policy impact and public benefit. This must also include addressing the advertised research priorities
  • Useful Data: develop our flagship datasets as useful research resources for future users
  • Useful Engagement: foster opportunities to engage with government and the public to shape the project to deliver impact and to maintain public acceptance for the use of data for research purposes
  • Community Building: boost the applicant’s development as a research leader using administrative data, and to personally contribute to the creation and development of wider, self-sustaining communities of practice

Award: Researchers can apply for a fellowship:

  • up to 18 months in duration
  • up to a maximum of £200,000 for the entire fellowship

We advise on the following time commitments which needs to be reflected in the grant costings and within the maximum sum available:

  • a maximum of 0.4 full-time equivalent during the ‘initial’ stage (first three months)
  • a minimum of 0.6 full-time equivalent for the ‘core’ research phase (remaining 15 months).

Funder Deadline: 26 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: International Placement Scheme 2026

Summary: Apply for a funded placement at an international institution. Placements are available at the following institutions:

  • United States: Harry Ransom Center, Huntington Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Yale Centre for British Art
  • Japan: National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU)
  • China: Shanghai Theatre Academy

Award: £1,000 for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for travel to Japan and China) and £2,500 for each month of the placement. Applicants can apply for two to six months of funding.

Internal Deadline: For Cambridge PhD students the internal deadline for applications is 05 March 2026. 

Current students should also notify the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team by emailing research.council.funding@admin.cam.ac.uk by the end of January 2026 at the latest.  Please also confirm which institution you will be applying to.

Research Facilitation Contact: research.council.funding@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Pre-announcement: URKI Future Leaders Fellowships, Round 11

Summary: UKRI has pre-announced their Future Leaders Fellowship Round 11 call. This scheme aims to support the most talented early career researchers and innovators who are transitioning to or establishing research independence. The number of applicants that the University of Cambridge is permitted to submit is capped at 10 for this round and the call will therefore be managed according to the University’s restricted calls policy. 
 
Fellowships run on a 4+3 year model with total award values typically up to around £2m. The scheme is open to both UK applicants and international applicants looking to take up a role at a UK-based organisation. 
 
Following the same approach as for previous rounds, there is no outline stage for this call and so applicants that are successful at the internal selection will move immediately to the full application stage. More information on the scheme can be found on the call webpage. Note that this is currently a pre-announcement and the information will be updated ahead of the call opening on 2nd February. 

Schools have been asked to each provide a ranked lists of individuals they recommend are supported to apply to this round of funding. Departments should therefore await communication from their School office to understand the selection/ranking process and timetable. 
 
If there are more applications put forward by the Schools than the UKRI limit of 10, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research will review the numbers and rankings, and we will contact the Schools to confirm the number of applications each School may submit. Please note that applicants that haven’t been through the School ranking stage of the internal selection process will not be accepted or included in the University of Cambridge submission for this funding call. 
 
The deadline for submission of full applications to UKRI is 18th June 2025. The usual Research Operations Office deadline policies apply to this call and Department’s should seek advice on accurate costing of the Fellow’s salary by contacting the appropriate ROO based team for your School. 
 
Applications to this call will require a Pro-Vice-Chancellor Support statement. Further information regarding the process for this element will be circulated to the successful internal applicants and their Departments.
 
Award: There is no minimum or maximum project cost. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC).

Internal deadline: 24 March 2026 is the internal deadline for Schools to pass on ranked list of supported applicants and summary of internal selection process to researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk 

Other deadlines: 02 February 2026, funder opens call; 09 June 2026, ROO deadline for full applications (5 working days prior to the funder deadline); 16 June 2026, funder deadline for submission of full applications

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Metascience research grants round 2

Summary: This funding opportunity aims to accelerate the generation of evidence on how we can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusivity of the research and development (R&D) ecosystem. For this round, we are interested in how the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape , how to optimally design and lead research institutions; and how to measure and understand scientific progress at scale.
In this funding opportunity, we are focussing on three themes to build our metascience portfolio. Applications should fit under one of the following themes.

Science of AI for Science:
How the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape, how this helps and/or hinders scientific progress, and how governments, industry and funding organisations should respond.

Effective design and leadership of research organisations
This includes empirical comparison of institutional models, the drivers of programme manager and research performance, the application of evidence from management and behavioural science to improve organisational structures and practices in research environments, and the effectiveness of interventions to support inclusive, high-performing research cultures.

Scientometric approaches to understanding research excellence, efficiency, and equity
This includes the development, validation, and generalisable use of metrics and indicators to assess research quality, influence, and impact, the development or application of indicators to advance the curation and synthesis of science at scale, and the behavioural consequences of metric use in research evaluation and funding decisions.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £250,000 or £350,000 with an international partner. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 23 April 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

2026-27 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

With the publication of the 2026-27 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read. This PDF [here] also outlines specific opportunities for AHSS researchers.

The European Commission adopted the main Horizon Europe work programme for 2026-2027, a €14 billion investment designed to drive research and innovation (R&I) across the EU's strategic goals. These goals include achieving climate neutrality, boosting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and innovation, and ensuring resilience in a rapidly changing world.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding)

 

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

You can sign up for our free daily EU grants and funding newsletter (English) by filling out this form. A digest of upcoming funding opportunities will arrive directly to your mailbox. If you would like to access all funding opportunities on our portal, you need to subscribe to the membership.

 

ERC Proof of Concept

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

Proof of Concept Grants aim at maximising the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.

Award: A lump sum of € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.

Funder Deadline: 13 March 2026 and 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

British Academy Call for proposals - Measurement of social and cultural infrastructure in the higher education sector

Summary: Social and cultural infrastructure refers to the spaces, services and structures that bring people together, and that can strengthen the social and cultural fabric of our communities. The Academy’s most recent phase of work in this area explores how social and cultural infrastructure can best be measured and valued, and what role different institutions and sectors play in creating, supporting and enhancing this infrastructure.

The overarching research questions are:

  • What are the benefits and challenges provided by the social and cultural infrastructure measurement framework, both to individual institutions, and to the higher education sector more broadly?
  • What do the insights garnered by the framework reveal about universities’ role, and potential role, in relation to social and cultural infrastructure, as approached through the three-part typology set out in the invite to tender?

A successful project is expected to address the above questions by working with a methodologically appropriate selection of universities/university departments to explore how the measurement framework can be developed and used for further research.

Award: The BA expects to make a single award of up to £60,000 (excluding VAT). The research project must begin in March 2026, and the final report is expected to be delivered by December 2026.

Funder Deadline: 04 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 17 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Trust Research Project - Outline Application

Summary: Research Project Grants provide financial support for research projects of high quality and potential, the choice of theme and the design of the research lying entirely with the applicant (the Principal Investigator). 

Award: The maximum grant value is £500,000. Research Project Grants may be held for up to five years.

Funder Deadline: 27 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

ISRF Flexible Grants for Small Grants

Summary: The Independent Social Research Foundation wishes to support independent-minded researchers to explore and present original research ideas which take new approaches, and suggest new solutions, to real world social problems. Principal Investigator(s) will lead a small group of 2-10 scholars (which may include graduate students). 

The Foundation supports innovative research which crosses established disciplinary boundaries and critically challenges incumbent theories and approaches, so as to address afresh empirical problems with no currently adequate theory or investigative methodology. Innovation may also come from controversial theoretical approaches motivated by critical challenge of incumbent theories. Projects ranging across the breadth of the social scientific disciplines and interdisciplinary research fields are welcome, and relevant applications from scholars working within the humanities are also encouraged.

Award: Up to a maximum of £7,500

Funder Deadline: 13 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Nuffield Foundation Strategic Fund

Summary: The Nuffield Foundation’s Strategic Fund is  open to ambitious, cross-cutting research  proposals that seek to address some of the  most pressing social challenges of our time.

The Strategic Fund is reserved for the funding of original, transformative ideas that have the scale and ambition to anticipate and address some of the most significant themes and  developments shaping the UK public policy agenda, now and in the future. These are major grants, typically in the range of £1–3 million and are expected to last between two and  five years. 

Strategic Fund applications should respond to one or more of our five priority questions, and/or explore the connections between them:

  • How can we build a prosperous and fair society, where people are secure
  • How can we build an inclusive society, where people thrive and feel they belong, in the context of changing
    demography and ways of life?
  • How can we ensure that rapid developments in science and technology work for people and society?
  • How can policies to address climate change be developed in a way that promotes a prosperous, fair and inclusive society? 
  • How can we build and maintain the effective, accountable and trustworthy institutions that our society and democracy need and can fulfil their potential?

Award: Between £1 million and £3 million

Funder Deadline: 16 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Genomics in Context Awards

Summary: These awards will support transdisciplinary teams to catalyse research discoveries at the intersection of genomics, humanities, social sciences and bioethics. Funded projects will be given the time and resources to create new research agendas and explore innovative ways of working.

There is a long history of exploring the social, legal and ethical contexts of genomics. This has made significant inroads into fostering more ethical and equitable practice. However, this has often been too limited and too late. Wider humanities and social science fields are underrepresented; communities or other social partners are often not centred; and these perspectives are often only included after key research decisions have already been made. This not only poses ethical challenges. It means that the discovery research potential of wider and earlier collaboration remains unrealised.

This call is aimed at addressing this issue and supporting novel, transdisciplinary teams to explore this area by enabling:

  • An increased breadth of collaborative partners – building inter- and transdisciplinary teams across genomics-related life sciences, humanities, social science and wider societal partners to purposefully engage in research at their unique intersections.
  • The earlier integration of partners – bringing new partners together at the conceptual stage of a research agenda (research ideation, design and partnership building), so that research ideas and avenues can be explored and co-developed in new and innovative ways.
  • A focus on Discovery Research – shifting the focus away from specific ethical questions, often applied at the end of a research lifecycle, to an emphasis on co-developing novel discovery research from the outset.
  • A plan for integrated collaboration across the research lifecycle that harmonises and leverages the skills and perspectives of diverse contributors. 

Award: Up to £500,000 for a project duration between 12 and 24 months.

Funder Deadline: 16 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
.
Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 26 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 31 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

Award: Applications are invited for a minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000.  A Visiting Professorship must last at least 3 months. Grants between 3 and 6 months must be completed in one visit. Grants between 6 and 12 months can be spread over two or more visits, with 12 months being the maximum duration for a visit.

Funder Deadline: 01 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

All Council Harmonised IAA Impact Starter Fund Call 2024-2025

Summary: Impact Starter funding will be available on a rolling basis to fund short-term projects of up to three months duration. Projects are expected to be short, cost-effective ways of kick-starting impact creation from research findings. The Impact Starter Fund will only consider projects that do not qualify for other IAA funding calls.

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

 

Impact Funding Callout

Summary: The University of Cambridge AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the Social Science Impact Fund (SSIF) will open during Michaelmas term. 

The overall purpose of this fund is to support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities. Awards will be made available to fund work that will significantly increase the probability of the ideas and findings generated by the research having a non-academic impact on the private, public, and third sectors. Collaborative, innovative, and co-funded projects are encouraged.  

Full information on eligible projects and the application process will be circulated as soon as possible.  

Award: Awards will be made in the region of £5,000 to £25,000, covering 100% of directly incurred costs but not indirect costs.  

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application. Preliminary discussions ahead of the call opening are welcome.

 

Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Impact Starter Fund Call 2025-2026

Summary: The Impact Starter Fund sits within the schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities wider AHSS impact hub, providing a supportive space for researchers to explore early-stage impact and knowledge exchange ideas. As the first step to achieving impact, it helps researchers develop skills, explore approaches, build the collaborations needed for creating real-world impact, and longer-term engagement with partners and collaborators. 
 
At a glance: 

  • Funding available up to £15,000 per project   
  • Rolling call with no deadline  
  • Project duration can be up to 6 months, and all funds must be spent within the project timelines  
  • Activities must demonstrate a link with underpinning research  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider novel and innovative approaches to participatory methods and knowledge exchange  
  • Applicants are encouraged to consider ways in which projects might contribute to the broader culture of engagement and collaboration,  develop researchers’ skills, partnerships, participatory methods, and knowledge exchange approaches. 

 
All AHSS Researchers (post PhD) and UTOs are eligible to apply.
 

Award: Between £10,000–£15,000 to support 3–6 month projects.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application.

 

Isaac Newton Trust Collection-based Research in the Humanities

Summary: Collections, libraries, archives and galleries are the ‘laboratories’ of humanities scholars. Collegiate Cambridge has a wealth of such collections, large and small, as well as collections within collections that may not be well known to scholars or whose research potential is yet to be fully appreciated and realised. While most repositories welcome new research and scholarship of their holdings, they are often limited in supporting such research because of staff shortage or limited funds for conservation. 

The purpose of this scheme is to promote enhanced engagement with physical items in the collection, so in-person, modest-sized meetings are encouraged. Applications to part-fund a single large international conference are therefore unlikely to succeed.

Award: Up to £5,000

Funder Deadline: 30 January 2026

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

University Diversity Fund

Summary: The University Diversity Fund (UDF) was launched in 2019 by former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen Toope. This initiative provides up to £1500 to staff and student-led activities which have the following objectives:

  1. Challenge discrimination and inequalities.
  2. Increase the representation of underrepresented groups.
  3. Raise awareness of issues related to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
  4. Facilitate implementation of good practice at the University.

All UDF projects must impact staff and/or students at the University of Cambridge. Although the panel welcomes projects that will benefit both the University community and the wider external community, proposals that focus only on external groups or communities are unlikely to be successful.

Award: Up to £1,500

Funder Deadline: 30 January 2026

Contact: equality@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Strategic Awards

Summary: Trustees are interested to see applications which catalyse new forms of collaboration aiming to generate institutional, perhaps interdisciplinary programmes and projects of strategic value to the University for the promotion of education or research. Proposed research projects should aim to be transformational with a prospect of longevity and financial sustainability. Applications need to be supported by a Pro-Vice-Chancellor or Chair of School.

If you are considering making an application for a Strategic Research Project, please contact the Director in the first instance to discuss your proposal.

Award: Up to £500,000 for a project duration of up to 5 years.

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026 (Outline Stage Application). Full Application by invitation only.

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Project Start-up Grants

Summary: Designed to support the establishment of new, stellar quality, visionary projects. Trustees will be looking for relevant expertise and the attainment of results in the time available. Applications could be for seed-corn funding, collecting pilot data, or similar start-up or exploratory research.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 12 months

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Fellowship Support

Summary: Designed to contribute match or top-up funding towards an externally awarded Early Career Fellowship to be held at the University. This may include salary or consumables support. Please note that the INT supports the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships under a different scheme.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 3 years.

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Emergency Bridge & Underwriting

Summary: Designed to provide support for emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration between 3 and 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Local Government AI Accelerator

Summary: New funding scheme supports collaborative research projects between University of Cambridge and local authorities.

The University of Cambridge is launching a new funding scheme to support collaborative AI research and development projects with local government partners. The ai@cam Local Government AI Accelerator will provide grants of up to £25,000 for proof-of-concept projects that address shared challenges across multiple councils.

The fund represents a new approach to AI innovation in public services, connecting academic expertise with real-world operational needs. Projects must demonstrate clear buy-in from at least one local authority partner, be led by a University of Cambridge researcher eligible to hold funding, and deliver results within 12 months.

The initiative builds on ai@cam’s work with local government partners across Cambridgeshire and beyond. Early AI adopters in local government are already demonstrating the technology’s potential in areas like social care, planning consultation analysis, and infrastructure maintenance. This collaboration aims to support councils in identifying promising AI applications and developing appropriate solutions.

Information Session
We will be hosting an upcoming Q&A information session about the funding scheme from 10:00 - 11:00, Thursday 15 January. You can register for this session here

Award: Funded projects will receive up to £25,000 for 9-12 months of proof-of-concept development, with ongoing support through monthly community of practice sessions and technical support clinics with ai@cam’s machine learning engineers. A final showcase will document lessons learned and explore pathways for scaling successful solutions across the sector.

Funder Deadline: 13 February 2026

Contact: If you have any questions around eligibility or the application process, please contact Jess Montgomery (jkm40@cam.ac.uk).

 

Enhanced Funding Scheme

Summary: Enhanced funding to deliver researcher development activities for PhD students is available to Departments and Faculties by application to support high-cost events and any activities involving external speakers or specialists.

Examples of activities funded in the past include workshops on the topics of communication and managing difficult conversations, translating research into practice, unconscious bias, self-confidence, etc.

Award: The budget for Enhanced Funding is £60k per annum. There is no specific funding envelope per round of applications); decisions will be made based on the quality of the proposals received. Expenditure and available funds will be kept under review by the central PgED team and Schools will be kept informed of progress.

Funder Deadline: 13 April 2026

Contact: Dr Sonja Tomašković at st560@cam.ac.uk

AHSS Research and Impact Bulletin: December 2025


 UK Research Council Funding 

 

 EU/International Funding 

    

Charity Funding 

 

Internal Funding 

Training 

 

Isambard-AI and Dawn AIRR supercomputers: Innovator route

Summary: Apply for up to 150,000 graphics processing unit (GPU) hours on the Isambard-AI and Dawn supercomputers for artificial intelligence (AI) related research and development projects. This route:

  • provides flexible computational support for AI-related research and development projects that will expand AI capabilities and push current AI boundaries
  • encourages the formation of broader research teams and partnerships, fostering multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral innovation

Potential AI-related research and development topics include, but are not limited to:

  • development of novel algorithms and software tools
  • exploring AI-assisted workflows
  • AI-driven data collection, production and synthesis
  • early-stage development of AI products

Within these novel and developing areas, we are particularly keen to hear from projects that contribute to delivering against the government’s five missions:

  • growing the economy
  • an NHS fit for the future
  • safer streets
  • opportunity for all
  • making Britain a clean energy superpower

This route covers activities that fall into the following categories:

  • fundamental research
  • feasibility studies
  • industrial research
  • experimental development

Award: You can apply for between 50,000 and 150,000 GPU hours to be used over a six-month project. No funding is provided.

Funder Deadline: 16 January 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC and BBC New Generation Thinkers 2026

Summary: This scheme offers early career researchers the opportunity to work with programme makers at BBC Radio 4. If selected, you’ll be partnered with a BBC Radio 4 programme or BBC Audio unit where you will develop an understanding of how programmes on BBC Radio 4 are made. Additionally, you will take part in learning and development opportunities with the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) around working with the media, engaging the public with research and how to work with policymakers.

Award: There is no grant funding attached to being an NGT. AHRC and BBC will provide contributions or cover costs where appropriate as set out below.

The AHRC will provide learning and development opportunities for the five NGTs, the majority of which will be online. For any in-person opportunities, such as the communications training workshop on the 28 May 2026 , AHRC will cover the costs of travel and subsistence and will book any hotel accommodation needed.

The BBC will provide an induction day for each NGT with the programme or unit that is hosting them. The BBC will book train tickets for this where necessary and pay for a hotel room if the working hours of the programme fall outside office hours (as Woman’s Hour does, for example). The cost of lunch for this induction day could be reimbursed according to BBC rates. At the induction day, the mentor for each of the NGTs will set out the plans for the year and go through any BBC rates and opportunities to claim for travel and subsistence. The BBC has a set payment rate for any appearances on air, which might be in person or via Zoom, depending on the programme needs.

Internal Deadline: The Research Operations Office deadline for submitting these applications is 26 January, 4pm. Please note:

  • These applications require Departmental approval
  • When an applicant presses “submit”, the application is sent directly to the Research Office
  • The Research Office will seek confirmation of Departmental support, before submitting the application to funder by 28 January 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your local Research Grants Administrator.

 

AHRC-DFG Research Grants: Round Eight, 2025 to 2026

Summary: Both AHRC and DFG are aware that some of the best research can only be achieved by working with the best researchers internationally. Accordingly, the aims of the funding opportunity are:

  • to support academic research of the highest quality in the humanities undertaken by UK-German teams, whose primary aim is to make fundamental advances in human knowledge
  • to deepen and strengthen cooperation between UK and German researchers in the humanities, and to foster the growth of a transnational UK-German research culture

Only applications whose primary aim is to make fundamental advances in human knowledge in the relevant fields may be submitted in response to the funding opportunity. If you are uncertain as to whether your application would be eligible you should contact AHRC or DFG for clarification.

The funding opportunity will be open to applications addressing any research topic where there is significant potential to advance knowledge through collaborative research bringing together UK arts and humanities researchers whose research falls within the remit of the AHRC, and humanities researchers in Germany.

Award: The full economic cost of the UK-component of your project can be up to £420,000. Your project can last between 24 to 36 months.

Funder Deadline: 11 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

ADR UK Research Fellowships 2025

Summary: We are looking for research proposals that utilise ADR England flagship datasets and meet the following four ADR UK Research Fellowship objectives:

  • Useful Research: act as ‘pathfinders’ for conducting research and deriving insights from the linked datasets which showcase the potential for policy impact and public benefit. This must also include addressing the advertised research priorities
  • Useful Data: develop our flagship datasets as useful research resources for future users
  • Useful Engagement: foster opportunities to engage with government and the public to shape the project to deliver impact and to maintain public acceptance for the use of data for research purposes
  • Community Building: boost the applicant’s development as a research leader using administrative data, and to personally contribute to the creation and development of wider, self-sustaining communities of practice

Award: Researchers can apply for a fellowship:

  • up to 18 months in duration
  • up to a maximum of £200,000 for the entire fellowship

We advise on the following time commitments which needs to be reflected in the grant costings and within the maximum sum available:

  • a maximum of 0.4 full-time equivalent during the ‘initial’ stage (first three months)
  • a minimum of 0.6 full-time equivalent for the ‘core’ research phase (remaining 15 months).

Funder Deadline: 26 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: International Placement Scheme 2026

Summary: Apply for a funded placement at an international institution. Placements are available at the following institutions:

  • United States: Harry Ransom Center, Huntington Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Yale Centre for British Art
  • Japan: National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU)
  • China: Shanghai Theatre Academy

Award: £1,000 for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for travel to Japan and China) and £2,500 for each month of the placement. Applicants can apply for two to six months of funding.

Internal Deadline: For Cambridge PhD students the internal deadline for applications is 05 March 2026. 

Current students should also notify the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team by emailing research.council.funding@admin.cam.ac.uk by the end of January 2026 at the latest.  Please also confirm which institution you will be applying to.

Research Facilitation Contact: research.council.funding@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Focal awards: multilingual futures for UK growth and connectivity

Summary: This Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) opportunity seeks to unlock linguistic and cultural expertise to build the high-level skills, innovation capacity, and global connections that underpin the UK’s growth and prosperity.It has been designed to meet the following objectives:

  • deliver world-class doctoral training and development including cohort experience
  • provide opportunities for students, preparing them to follow a diversity of career paths within and beyond academia
  • support research capacity in specific strategic areas, addressing national and global challenges and delivering UKRI’s mission to drive UK growth and improve lives, through arts and humanities doctoral research and by encouraging interdisciplinary approaches
  • advance current understanding, generate new knowledge, and develop the breadth of expertise for the future of the research and innovation workforce
  • address underrepresentation in the AHRC-funded doctoral community
  • enable opportunities for students across specific languages and language-grounded research areas, thereby supporting the pipeline of skilled language researchers within and beyond academia
  • enhance collaboration and knowledge exchange within academia and between academia and other sectors for the benefit of the students, members of the focal award consortia, and wider society

This opportunity responds to evidence of declining capacity in language-grounded disciplines and the wider skills gap in advanced communication, translation, and cultural intelligence. It seeks to enable UK growth and renew the UK’s leadership in multilingual, globally connected research and to ensure a sustainable talent pipeline in areas critical to economic growth, social cohesion, and international engagement, recognising linguistic diversity as a cultural, political and social asset.

Award: AHRC will support up to 20 studentships per award over four cohorts and funding will be provided at the usual UKRI rates. The first cohort of students will start in October 2028.

Funder Deadline: 21 April 2026. **Please note that this is a restricted call and will be managed by the Research Strategy Office. There will be internal deadlines (TBA) in advance of the Funder Deadline.**

Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact the Research Strategy Office

 

Pre-announcement: Design Generators

Summary: Design is a discipline that applies user, customer, citizen or community-centred approaches to creativity and invention to ensure more successful outcomes. These may include the built environment, physical products, digital, or other services and systems that underpin how we live. Success in this context may mean economic, social, environmental, or a combination of all three.

The Design Generators aim to fund innovative, design-led research projects that contribute to the green transition. They seek to generate new arts and humanities-based approaches and methodologies that harness design to address environmental sustainability, decarbonisation, circular economies, policy design and regenerative practices. Funding will be provided to:

  • co-develop interventions with a non-academic partner to assist sustained impact beyond the life of the grant
  • engage collaboratively with communities or stakeholders, ensuring relevance and responsiveness to lived experience
  • promote green transition-supportive behaviour change, either through deliberative policymaking and (de)regulation or through ‘nudging’
  • highlight the value of academic design research in addressing real-world, locally relevant challenges arising along the journey to net zero and a green economy

This round will focus on creating interventions within existing systems. These systems may include, but are not limited to, healthcare, food networks, governance structures, financial infrastructures, and other societal frameworks. We are particularly interested in projects that approach these systems from a community perspective and use design thinking and creative methodologies to identify leverage points for positive change.

Information Webinar: 11 February 2026, 11.00 to 12.00. REGISTER HERE.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £200,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. These awards can be between 9 to 12 months in duration.

Funder Deadline: 23 April 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Metascience research grants round 2

Summary: This funding opportunity aims to accelerate the generation of evidence on how we can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusivity of the research and development (R&D) ecosystem. For this round, we are interested in how the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape , how to optimally design and lead research institutions; and how to measure and understand scientific progress at scale.
In this funding opportunity, we are focussing on three themes to build our metascience portfolio. Applications should fit under one of the following themes.

Science of AI for Science:
How the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape, how this helps and/or hinders scientific progress, and how governments, industry and funding organisations should respond.

Effective design and leadership of research organisations
This includes empirical comparison of institutional models, the drivers of programme manager and research performance, the application of evidence from management and behavioural science to improve organisational structures and practices in research environments, and the effectiveness of interventions to support inclusive, high-performing research cultures.

Scientometric approaches to understanding research excellence, efficiency, and equity
This includes the development, validation, and generalisable use of metrics and indicators to assess research quality, influence, and impact, the development or application of indicators to advance the curation and synthesis of science at scale, and the behavioural consequences of metric use in research evaluation and funding decisions.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £250,000 or £350,000 with an international partner. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 23 April 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

2025 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

Horizon Europe from 2024 Work Programme Calls going forward
Successful UK applicants will be funded by the EU, under the Horizon Europe Programme.
Updates on Association: Please visit the Research Operation Office’s EU pages. 

With the publication of the 2025 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read.

There is also a draft publication of the Horizon Europe 2026-2027 Work programme that can be found here. These are yet to be ratified, but are not likely to change significantly prior to the programme’s ratification in Spring 2026.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding)

 

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

You can sign up for our free daily EU grants and funding newsletter (English) by filling out this form. A digest of upcoming funding opportunities will arrive directly to your mailbox. If you would like to access all funding opportunities on our portal, you need to subscribe to the membership.

 

ERC Consolidator Grant

Summary:  The ERC Consolidator Grant is for researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of experience since completion of their PhD. This programme is for PIs who will consolidate their own independent research team or programme. PIs must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition and feasibility of their research proposal.

Award: Up to € 2 million for a period of 5 years. An additional € 1 million can be requested to cover start-up costs, the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities.

Deadline: 13 January 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

ERC Proof of Concept

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

Proof of Concept Grants aim at maximising the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.

Award: A lump sum of € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.

Funder Deadline: 13 March 2026 and 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

British Academy / Cara / Leverhulme Researchers at Risk Support Grants

Summary: Funds are available to facilitate initial project planning and development; research assistance; and to enable the advancement of research through conference/workshop or visits by or to partner scholars. Eligible researchers include the following except where their research falls within the medical and health sciences which is not eligible:

  • Existing award-holders through Cara’s Fellowship Programme.
  • Applicants to Cara’s Fellowship Programme who have been deemed eligible for support and for whom a placement is being sought (awards will only be paid over once the placement is secured).
  • Existing award-holders through the British Academy’s Researchers at Risk Fellowship Programme.

In addition, to be eligible for this funding applicants must be active postdoctoral (or equivalent level) researcher. They must hold an appropriate UK visa before the funds can be released.

Award: The value of the award is set at a maximum of £10,000. Applications will not be considered for less than £2,000.

Funder Deadline: 14 January 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP) Documentation Grants

Summary: The EMKP offers small and large grants to document material knowledge systems that are under threat and in danger of disappearing. This includes knowledge systems associated with the making, use, repair, and re-purposing of material objects, spaces, architecture, performances, and environments. The EMKP Documentation Grants support the documentation of endangered material knowledge systems.

Documentation methods can include but are not limited to, film, audio recordings, photographs, written notes, maps, 3D models, and drawings. Successful applicants will be required to submit digital copies of these records to be uploaded to the EMKP open-access repository, which is hosted by the British Museum.

Applicants can apply for grants irrespective of nationality and academic background, however, they must apply with a Host Institution that can provide independent financial and ethical oversight for their project. There is no restriction on where the proposed work can be carried out, but priority will be given to projects in regions and countries where existing financial support for research is limited.

Award: Small Grants can last up to one year with a maximum award of £20,000. Large Grants can last up to two years with a maximum award of £100,000.

Funder Deadline: 19 January 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

British Academy Conference Scheme

Summary: The British Academy Conferences scheme presents an exceptional opportunity for UK-based scholars to run a landmark event featuring leading-edge research as part of the Academy’s events programme. The scheme includes a strand of British Academy/Wellcome Conferences, designed to foster discussion and debate on health and wellbeing related themes.

Awards in this round are for conferences to be held 1 April 2027 - 31 March 2028 (the earliest start date for a conference would be 1 April 2027).

Award: Up to £20,000 per conference is available for British Academy/DSIT conferences. For conferences on health and wellbeing under the British Academy/Wellcome scheme, the upper limit of awards is £25,000.

Many awards will be made at a lower level, with sums in the region of £10,000-£15,000 likely. The awarding committee will aim to offer sums to make viable each conference that it selects for support, but in some instances, it may offer less than was sought.

Funder Deadline: 29 January 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 17 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Trust Research Project - Outline Application

Summary: Research Project Grants provide financial support for research projects of high quality and potential, the choice of theme and the design of the research lying entirely with the applicant (the Principal Investigator). 

Award: The maximum grant value is £500,000. Research Project Grants may be held for up to five years.

Funder Deadline: 27 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Nuffield Foundation Strategic Fund

Summary: The Nuffield Foundation’s Strategic Fund is  open to ambitious, cross-cutting research  proposals that seek to address some of the  most pressing social challenges of our time.

The Strategic Fund is reserved for the funding of original, transformative ideas that have the scale and ambition to anticipate and address some of the most significant themes and  developments shaping the UK public policy agenda, now and in the future. These are major grants, typically in the range of £1–3 million and are expected to last between two and  five years. 

Strategic Fund applications should respond to one or more of our five priority questions, and/or explore the connections between them:

  • How can we build a prosperous and fair society, where people are secure
  • How can we build an inclusive society, where people thrive and feel they belong, in the context of changing
    demography and ways of life?
  • How can we ensure that rapid developments in science and technology work for people and society?
  • How can policies to address climate change be developed in a way that promotes a prosperous, fair and inclusive society? 
  • How can we build and maintain the effective, accountable and trustworthy institutions that our society and democracy need and can fulfil their potential?

Award: Between £1 million and £3 million

Funder Deadline: 16 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
.
Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 26 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 31 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

Award: Applications are invited for a minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000.  A Visiting Professorship must last at least 3 months. Grants between 3 and 6 months must be completed in one visit. Grants between 6 and 12 months can be spread over two or more visits, with 12 months being the maximum duration for a visit.

Funder Deadline: 01 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

All Council Harmonised IAA Impact Starter Fund Call 2024-2025

Summary: Impact Starter funding will be available on a rolling basis to fund short-term projects of up to three months duration. Projects are expected to be short, cost-effective ways of kick-starting impact creation from research findings. The Impact Starter Fund will only consider projects that do not qualify for other IAA funding calls.

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

 

Impact Funding Callout

Summary: The University of Cambridge AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the Social Science Impact Fund (SSIF) will open during Michaelmas term. 

The overall purpose of this fund is to support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities. Awards will be made available to fund work that will significantly increase the probability of the ideas and findings generated by the research having a non-academic impact on the private, public, and third sectors. Collaborative, innovative, and co-funded projects are encouraged.  

Full information on eligible projects and the application process will be circulated as soon as possible.  

Award: Awards will be made in the region of £5,000 to £25,000, covering 100% of directly incurred costs but not indirect costs.  

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application. Preliminary discussions ahead of the call opening are welcome.

 

Isaac Newton Trust Project Completion Grants for Mid-Career Researchers in Humanities

Summary: INT is pleased to announce new awards, made possible by a donation from Trinity College. These awards are for Departments and Faculties in the Schools of Arts and Humanities and of Humanities and Social Sciences, and/or (where relevant) Colleges. They are designed to enable mid-career researchers in the humanities to complete their second monograph or a substantial project that qualifies for Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission, by providing the costs of replacement teaching and administrative duties for one term.

Award: Up to £15,000

Funder Deadline: 09 January 2026

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Collection-based Research in the Humanities

Summary: Collections, libraries, archives and galleries are the ‘laboratories’ of humanities scholars. Collegiate Cambridge has a wealth of such collections, large and small, as well as collections within collections that may not be well known to scholars or whose research potential is yet to be fully appreciated and realised. While most repositories welcome new research and scholarship of their holdings, they are often limited in supporting such research because of staff shortage or limited funds for conservation. 

The purpose of this scheme is to promote enhanced engagement with physical items in the collection, so in-person, modest-sized meetings are encouraged. Applications to part-fund a single large international conference are therefore unlikely to succeed.

Award: Up to £5,000

Funder Deadline: 30 January 2026

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Strategic Awards

Summary: Trustees are interested to see applications which catalyse new forms of collaboration aiming to generate institutional, perhaps interdisciplinary programmes and projects of strategic value to the University for the promotion of education or research. Proposed research projects should aim to be transformational with a prospect of longevity and financial sustainability. Applications need to be supported by a Pro-Vice-Chancellor or Chair of School.

If you are considering making an application for a Strategic Research Project, please contact the Director in the first instance to discuss your proposal.

Award: Up to £500,000 for a project duration of up to 5 years.

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026 (Outline Stage Application). Full Application by invitation only.

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Project Start-up Grants

Summary: Designed to support the establishment of new, stellar quality, visionary projects. Trustees will be looking for relevant expertise and the attainment of results in the time available. Applications could be for seed-corn funding, collecting pilot data, or similar start-up or exploratory research.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 12 months

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Fellowship Support

Summary: Designed to contribute match or top-up funding towards an externally awarded Early Career Fellowship to be held at the University. This may include salary or consumables support. Please note that the INT supports the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships under a different scheme.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 3 years.

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Emergency Bridge & Underwriting

Summary: Designed to provide support for emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration between 3 and 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Enhanced Funding Scheme

Summary: Enhanced funding to deliver researcher development activities for PhD students is available to Departments and Faculties by application to support high-cost events and any activities involving external speakers or specialists.

Examples of activities funded in the past include workshops on the topics of communication and managing difficult conversations, translating research into practice, unconscious bias, self-confidence, etc.

Award: The budget for Enhanced Funding is £60k per annum. There is no specific funding envelope per round of applications); decisions will be made based on the quality of the proposals received. Expenditure and available funds will be kept under review by the central PgED team and Schools will be kept informed of progress.

Funder Deadline: 13 April 2026

Contact: Dr Sonja Tomašković at st560@cam.ac.uk

 

From Research to Resonance: Turning Ideas into Ventures
 

05 December 2025, 12:30 to 14:30
CRASSH, Alison Richard Building
Lunch will be provided

Wherever you are in your research impact journey — from early exploration to established engagement — this session is designed for you.
Join us for a two-hour workshop that will demystify how research impact is supported at Cambridge and how your ideas can move beyond academia to shape society, culture, business, and industry.

During the session, you will:

  • Hear from Cambridge’s leading innovators and entrepreneurs in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences who have successfully translated research into real-world products, services, social enterprises, and spinouts.
  • Gain a clear understanding of the University’s impact ecosystem — including the roles of the AHSS Impact Team and Cambridge Enterprise — and how they can support you at every career stage.
  • Explore pathways and funding opportunities to develop business, industry and third sector partnerships, pilot new ideas, and amplify the reach of your research.
  • Connect with peers who are equally committed to turning research into real-world resonance through knowledge exchange and collaboration.


Whether you’re just starting to build a network, are deep into market validation, or scaling an established venture, From Research to Resonance will help you navigate the journey from inspiration to success — and make your research matter beyond the academy.

 

Cultures of Change: Arts and Humanities as a Space of Invention
 

10 December 2025, 14:00 to 18:00
London & Online
[REGISTER]
 
NCACE invites you to join us on 10 December 2025 at 2:00pm (UK time) for a hybrid discussion exploring what sustainability and entrepreneurship mean in the context of arts and humanities research collaborations with the arts and cultural sector.

This session will showcase the ingenuity, innovation and creative approaches already shaping research collaboration. We will consider the wide range of values this work produces and reflect on how these might be more effectively articulated in narratives around “commercialisation and dynamism.”

 

The Collaboration Lab
 

22 December 2025, registration deadline

The Cultures of Change event is aimed at setting the scene for The Collaboration Lab, a new, co-designed pilot programme to support existing partnerships between universities and arts or cultural organisations. The Collaboration Lab will help partners explore creative, practical ways to sustain their collaboration and impact beyond project funding, through a mix of in-person and online workshops, shared learning, and peer-to-peer support. It will be designed to encourage shared, cross-sector thinking across the cohort, building collective learning and collaboration, while also supporting individual projects and ideas that partners want to develop to help make their work more sustainable in the future.

The Collaboration Lab pilot will formally launch on 21 January 2026 with an Ideas Pool event designed to help participating partnerships identify the aspects of their work that have the potential to become sustainable, reflect on their shared goals, and begin shaping the Lab’s co-designed programme.

If you are interested in participating in The Collaboration Lab, you can read more about the pilot here and register your interest in this short form by Monday 22nd December 2025. 

 

SHAPE Ideas Incubator 2026
 

12 January 2026

We are excited to announce that we are once again open for applications to the SHAPE Ideas Incubator, an early-stage entrepreneurship programme designed to support researchers across the Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts who are creating impactful social innovations for People, the Planet and the Economy. 

We aim to support researchers who are actively beginning to develop an impactful project (such as a new product or service, a toolkit or training material, an academic consultancy offering, software or data resources, creative media, a social intervention or social enterprise) which goes beyond research, and which could benefit from an innovative or entrepreneurial approach. 

The programme offers practical exposure to social innovation and entrepreneurship, tailored support from a dedicated team at Cambridge Enterprise, and opportunities to collaborate with like-minded researchers. 

The programme consists of four half-day sessions across February to March, culminating in a finale pitching event in April. Each session includes expert support, training, discussion, and time to refine your ideas alongside a cohort of researchers all developing their impactful projects.  

We invite researchers to submit an Expression of Interest form for our upcoming cohort starting in February 2025. Apply to the SHAPE Ideas Incubator. Deadline for submission: 12 January 2025. We welcome you to pass this invitation on to your colleagues who may benefit from the programme.  

Any questions or queries can be directed to the team at ahss@enterprise.cam.ac.uk. 

 

FameLab UK
 

16 January 2026
 
FameLab UK, created by Cheltenham Festivals, is the largest, public facing, science communication competition and training programme in the world and we are absolutely delighted to be the regional hub for the East of England. FameLab offers you a platform to: 

  • Amplify your voice and share your ideas 
  • Boost your confidence in presenting complex theories to a wider audience 
  • Build lasting connections with fellow scientists and STEM professionals 

If successful, you’ll have the incredible opportunity to present your work at Cheltenham Science Festival 2026, a premier event that celebrates the wonders of science with audiences from all over the world. 

Don’t miss your chance to showcase your passion for STEM and Social Sciences be the change you want to see in science communication. Take a look at last year's final here. 

Researchers have just three minutes to communicate their research to their audience and an expert panel of judges. The winner is the speaker who best demonstrates FameLab’s three C’s – Content, Clarity and Charisma. Visit our webpage for more information on how to sign up and contact publicengagement@admin.cam.ac.uk for any questions.  

Save the dates! 
Applications will close on the 16 January 2026. 
Join us for a Welcome to the FameLab Family on the 29 January 2026 at 6pm online. 
Training for all East of England Hub applicants on Content creation will take place on the 2 February 2026 at 12:30pm-2:00pm online. 
Training for East of England semi-finalists on Performance Planning will take place on the 3 March 2026 at 12:00pm-1:30pm online. 
The East of England semifinal will take place in-person in the evening of the 2 April 2026. 

 

Grant writing workshop -- ECRs and PhD students in data science and AI
 

16 January 2026, 13.30 to 16.15
The Glasshouse, 100 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 1LQ
 
Are you thinking about applying for a grant or fellowship? Is this your first time applying for major funding and would you like to learn about effective grant writing and what makes a strong application?

ECRs and PhD students across all Schools and Departments, with an interest in data science and AI are invited to this Grant Writing Workshop. We welcome all ECRs and PhD students to attend, including those with little or no experience in writing proposals to funding bodies. It is never too early to build your knowledge in this critical area of academia.

Aims
This workshop aims to help ECRs and PhD students working in data science and AI to maximise the chances of securing research funding, grants or a fellowship position.

Workshop
We will start the workshop with a small group elevator pitch exercise. This is a fantastic exercise in communicating our research interests to a broad audience who may have little or no knowledge of your area. This peer-to-peer activity will take place in a supportive and friendly environment, where everyone is gathered to improve their communication skills. If you can verbally communicate complex information quickly, you can use these skills to build a solid written funding application.

A keynote presentation will be delivered by Dr Mia Sato Tackney, MRC Biostatistics Unit. Hear her story from an awardee of a C2D3 Seed Fund in 2023 to a NIHR Advanced Fellowship in 2025.

Finally we will have a panel discussion from four leading academics, to hear their thoughts on what makes a successful funding application, common pitfalls, and strategies for ensuring your writing is persuasive.

Registration
Registration is essential and closes Wed 14th January at 17:00, please see the notes below about entry to the venue.

Register here - University of Cambridge ECRs and PhD students only.

 

Apply to Nuffield Funding: Supporting Black Researchers
 

21 January 2026, 15.00 to 16.00
[REGISTER]
 
Black researchers remain underrepresented across the UK research community, including within the Foundation’s applicants and grant holders. Accessing funding and navigating research opportunities can be challenging for underrepresented groups, limiting the diversity of voices shaping the future of research.

The Nuffield Foundation is committed to being a more inclusive funder and enabling greater representation in social research. To support more equitable access to our funding opportunities, we are hosting a webinar for Black researchers. This session will provide an overview of our funding programmes, insight into our application and assessment processes, and an opportunity for attendees to discuss their ideas with the programme team.   

Follow-up sessions will also be offered for participants seeking more personalised guidance.

What does this webinar include?

How to apply, and the dos and don’ts of a successful funding proposal
Information on the types of research we fund
Our peer review, assessment and decision-making process
Audience Q&A

Who is this event for?

This event is designed for Black researchers, from early career academics to established researchers, who are interested in learning more about Nuffield Foundation funding

AHSS Research and Impact Bulletin

November 2025

 

UK Research Council Funding

 

 

EU / International Funding

 

Charity Funding

 

Internal Funding

 

Training / Other

 

 

Early Career Fellowships in Cultural and Heritage Institutions: 2025

Summary: The overall purpose of this funding opportunity is to enable early career postdoctoral (or equivalent) researchers to gain research and career experience in the galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) sector.

You will do this through working in a major cultural or heritage host organisation, on a co-designed research project that will also benefit the host organisation.

The objectives of the scheme are to:

  • create new opportunities for early career postdoctoral researchers to build, deepen or broaden their experience of working in, and with, major cultural and heritage organisations
  • develop the fellows’ skills and future research career in areas of relevance to the work, collections and practices of cultural and heritage organisations
  • deliver high quality and impactful research and innovation projects
  • enhance the host organisation’s capacity to undertake research and innovation activities closely aligned with its priorities and strategies, and leading to practical benefits and outcomes for the host
  • address a need across the GLAM sector in respect of the lack of dedicated support at the early stage of research careers
  • promote equality, diversity and inclusion principles
  • strengthen efforts to build and diversify research capabilities in the cultural heritage research and innovation ecosystem
  • further extend the GLAM sector’s engagement with, and contribution to, society
  • catalyse high quality and impactful research and innovation projects

This will be achieved through funding individual fellowships for early career researchers hosted by cultural and heritage independent research organisations, with a complementary programme of networking events and cohort career development activities for the fellows.

Award: Projects can cost up to £312,500 (Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funds 80%). An expression of interest form must be completed and successful applications will then be invited to apply. Fellowships start 1 January 2027 and last one to two years (longer if part-time).

Funder Deadline: 10 December 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: Design Generators

Summary: Design is a discipline that applies user, customer, citizen or community-centred approaches to creativity and invention to ensure more successful outcomes. These may include the built environment, physical products, digital, or other services and systems that underpin how we live. Success in this context may mean economic, social, environmental, or a combination of all three.

The Design Generators aim to fund innovative, design-led research projects that contribute to the green transition. They seek to generate new arts and humanities-based approaches and methodologies that harness design to address environmental sustainability, decarbonisation, circular economies, policy design and regenerative practices. Funding will be provided to:

  • co-develop interventions with a non-academic partner to assist sustained impact beyond the life of the grant
  • engage collaboratively with communities or stakeholders, ensuring relevance and responsiveness to lived experience
  • promote green transition-supportive behaviour change, either through deliberative policymaking and (de)regulation or through ‘nudging’
  • highlight the value of academic design research in addressing real-world, locally relevant challenges arising along the journey to net zero and a green economy

This round will focus on creating interventions within existing systems. These systems may include, but are not limited to, healthcare, food networks, governance structures, financial infrastructures, and other societal frameworks. We are particularly interested in projects that approach these systems from a community perspective and use design thinking and creative methodologies to identify leverage points for positive change.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £200,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. These awards can be between 9 to 12 months in duration.

Funder Deadline: 29 January 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC-DFG Research Grants: Round Eight, 2025 to 2026

Summary: Both AHRC and DFG are aware that some of the best research can only be achieved by working with the best researchers internationally. Accordingly, the aims of the funding opportunity are:

  • to support academic research of the highest quality in the humanities undertaken by UK-German teams, whose primary aim is to make fundamental advances in human knowledge
  • to deepen and strengthen cooperation between UK and German researchers in the humanities, and to foster the growth of a transnational UK-German research culture

Only applications whose primary aim is to make fundamental advances in human knowledge in the relevant fields may be submitted in response to the funding opportunity. If you are uncertain as to whether your application would be eligible you should contact AHRC or DFG for clarification.

The funding opportunity will be open to applications addressing any research topic where there is significant potential to advance knowledge through collaborative research bringing together UK arts and humanities researchers whose research falls within the remit of the AHRC, and humanities researchers in Germany.

Award: The full economic cost of the UK-component of your project can be up to £420,000. Your project can last between 24 to 36 months.

Funder Deadline: 11 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Pre-Announcement: ADR UK Research Fellowships 2025

Summary: We are looking for research proposals that utilise ADR England flagship datasets and meet the following four ADR UK Research Fellowship objectives:

  • Useful Research: act as ‘pathfinders’ for conducting research and deriving insights from the linked datasets which showcase the potential for policy impact and public benefit. This must also include addressing the advertised research priorities
  • Useful Data: develop our flagship datasets as useful research resources for future users
  • Useful Engagement: foster opportunities to engage with government and the public to shape the project to deliver impact and to maintain public acceptance for the use of data for research purposes
  • Community Building: boost the applicant’s development as a research leader using administrative data, and to personally contribute to the creation and development of wider, self-sustaining communities of practice

Award: Researchers can apply for a fellowship:

  • up to 18 months in duration
  • up to a maximum of £200,000 for the entire fellowship

We advise on the following time commitments which needs to be reflected in the grant costings and within the maximum sum available:

  • a maximum of 0.4 full-time equivalent during the ‘initial’ stage (first three months)
  • a minimum of 0.6 full-time equivalent for the ‘core’ research phase (remaining 15 months).

Funder Deadline: 26 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

2025 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

Horizon Europe from 2024 Work Programme Calls going forward
Successful UK applicants will be funded by the EU, under the Horizon Europe Programme.
Updates on Association: Please visit the Research Operation Office’s EU pages. 

With the publication of the 2025 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read.

There is also a draft publication of the Horizon Europe 2026-2027 Work programme that can be found here. These are yet to be ratified, but are not likely to change significantly prior to the programme’s ratification in Spring 2026.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding)

 

ERC Consolidator Grant

Summary:  The ERC Consolidator Grant is for researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of experience since completion of their PhD. This programme is for PIs who will consolidate their own independent research team or programme. PIs must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition and feasibility of their research proposal.

Award: Up to € 2 million for a period of 5 years. An additional € 1 million can be requested to cover start-up costs, the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities.

Deadline: 13 January 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

ERC Proof of Concept

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

Proof of Concept Grants aim at maximising the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects.

Award: A lump sum of € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.

Funder Deadline: 13 March 2026 and 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Overseas Researchers 2026

Summary: The scheme provides funding for early career postdoctoral researchers to conduct cooperative research in Japan, with leading research groups in Japanese universities and other institutions, under the guidance of a Japanese host.

Award: Awards are for a period of between 12 months minimum to 24 months maximum. JSPS provides the following support:

  • A round-trip air ticket for the Fellow;
  • A monthly maintenance stipend of ¥362,000;
  • A settling-in allowance of ¥200,000;
  • A research grant ('Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research') for cooperative research-related expenses, applied for by the Japanese host researcher through his / her host institution.

Funder Deadline: 10 December 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 17 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Trust Research Project - Outline Application

Summary: Research Project Grants provide financial support for research projects of high quality and potential, the choice of theme and the design of the research lying entirely with the applicant (the Principal Investigator). 

Award: The maximum grant value is £500,000. Research Project Grants may be held for up to five years.

Funder Deadline: 27 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Nuffield Foundation Strategic Fund

Summary: The Nuffield Foundation’s Strategic Fund is  open to ambitious, cross-cutting research  proposals that seek to address some of the  most pressing social challenges of our time.

The Strategic Fund is reserved for the funding of original, transformative ideas that have the scale and ambition to anticipate and address some of the most significant themes and  developments shaping the UK public policy agenda, now and in the future. These are major grants, typically in the range of £1–3 million and are expected to last between two and  five years. 

Strategic Fund applications should respond to one or more of our five priority questions, and/or explore the connections between them:

  • How can we build a prosperous and fair society, where people are secure
  • How can we build an inclusive society, where people thrive and feel they belong, in the context of changing
    demography and ways of life?
  • How can we ensure that rapid developments in science and technology work for people and society?
  • How can policies to address climate change be developed in a way that promotes a prosperous, fair and inclusive society? 
  • How can we build and maintain the effective, accountable and trustworthy institutions that our society and democracy need and can fulfil their potential?

Award: Between £1 million and £3 million

Funder Deadline: 16 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
.
Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 26 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 31 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

Award: Applications are invited for a minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000.  A Visiting Professorship must last at least 3 months. Grants between 3 and 6 months must be completed in one visit. Grants between 6 and 12 months can be spread over two or more visits, with 12 months being the maximum duration for a visit.

Funder Deadline: 01 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

All Council Harmonised IAA Impact Starter Fund Call 2024-2025

Summary: Impact Starter funding will be available on a rolling basis to fund short-term projects of up to three months duration. Projects are expected to be short, cost-effective ways of kick-starting impact creation from research findings. The Impact Starter Fund will only consider projects that do not qualify for other IAA funding calls.

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

 

Pre-announcement: Impact Funding Callout

Summary: The University of Cambridge AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the Social Science Impact Fund (SSIF) will open during Michaelmas term. 

The overall purpose of this fund is to support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities. Awards will be made available to fund work that will significantly increase the probability of the ideas and findings generated by the research having a non-academic impact on the private, public, and third sectors. Collaborative, innovative, and co-funded projects are encouraged.  

Full information on eligible projects and the application process will be circulated as soon as possible.  

Award: Awards will be made in the region of £5,000 to £25,000, covering 100% of directly incurred costs but not indirect costs.  

Funder Deadline: TBA

Research Facilitation Contact: All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (Arts and Humanities Impact Facilitator) and Dr Tina Basi (Social Sciences Impact Facilitator) to discuss their proposal before application. Preliminary discussions ahead of the call opening are welcome.

 

Global Humanities Mobilities Scheme Grant, Round 5

Summary: The Global Humanities Initiative is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and universities in China (Fudan, Nanjing), India (Ashoka), the Middle East (American University of Beirut), Latin America (Universidad Diego Portales, Chile), West Africa (University of Ghana) and Turkey (Sabanci University). It seeks to advance the Humanities as a common enterprise, incorporating traditional and new ways of scholarship and developing novel ways of teaching and researching.

One of our main goals is to foster the mobility of staff between our institutions. To that end we have designed a scheme to provide funding for scholarly exchange between Cambridge and the other network partners that leads to joint teaching ventures (primarily but not exclusively at post-graduate level) and builds the basis for new research initiatives which can lead to larger-scale opportunities/collaborations in the future. Applications are normally considered for stays of between two and four weeks. We particularly welcome applications that enable students and researchers to understand and interrogate new ideas and foster a greater plurality of voices in the scholarly community.

Award: The scheme will cover the costs of travel, visa, accommodation and subsistence pro rata for between two and four weeks. Together with our partner universities we have worked out appropriate packages for each destination. Detailed budgets are therefore not required. Successful applicants will receive full details when they receive their award.

Funder Deadline: 10 November 2025

Contact: Globalhumanities@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Project Completion Grants for Mid-Career Researchers in Humanities

Summary: INT is pleased to announce new awards, made possible by a donation from Trinity College. These awards are for Departments and Faculties in the Schools of Arts and Humanities and of Humanities and Social Sciences, and/or (where relevant) Colleges. They are designed to enable mid-career researchers in the humanities to complete their second monograph or a substantial project that qualifies for Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission, by providing the costs of replacement teaching and administrative duties for one term.

Award: Up to £15,000

Funder Deadline: 09 January 2026

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Collection-based Research in the Humanities

Summary: Collections, libraries, archives and galleries are the ‘laboratories’ of humanities scholars. Collegiate Cambridge has a wealth of such collections, large and small, as well as collections within collections that may not be well known to scholars or whose research potential is yet to be fully appreciated and realised. While most repositories welcome new research and scholarship of their holdings, they are often limited in supporting such research because of staff shortage or limited funds for conservation. 

The purpose of this scheme is to promote enhanced engagement with physical items in the collection, so in-person, modest-sized meetings are encouraged. Applications to part-fund a single large international conference are therefore unlikely to succeed.

Award: Up to £5,000

Funder Deadline: 30 January 2026

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Strategic Awards

Summary: Trustees are interested to see applications which catalyse new forms of collaboration aiming to generate institutional, perhaps interdisciplinary programmes and projects of strategic value to the University for the promotion of education or research. Proposed research projects should aim to be transformational with a prospect of longevity and financial sustainability. Applications need to be supported by a Pro-Vice-Chancellor or Chair of School.

If you are considering making an application for a Strategic Research Project, please contact the Director in the first instance to discuss your proposal.

Award: Up to £500,000 for a project duration of up to 5 years.

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026 (Outline Stage Application). Full Application by invitation only.

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

ERC Consolidator and Advanced Grants Insights for the Arts and Humanities
 

05 November 2025, 13:00 to 14:30
Meeting Room 2, 17 Mill Lane
[REGISTER]
 
The Department of History Art is hosting a session for researchers based in the Arts and Humanities who are interested in learning more about the ERC Consolidator and Advanced Grants.

The session will be led by Prof. Matthew Rampley (Masaryk University) and Prof. Alexander Marr (University of Cambridge). Prof. Rampley was the Chair of Advanced Grants Panel SH8 in 2025 and recently held an Advanced Grant award. Prof. Marr was a member of Advanced Grants Panel SH8 in 2025 and has held a Consolidator Grant.

They will be joined by Dr Elizabeth Penner (University of Cambridge), AHSS School Research Facilitator, who works with researchers in developing their ERC proposals.

The panel will offer their insights into the process of applying for an ERC Consolidator or Advanced Grant, selection criteria, developing a strong proposal and running a grant, with Q&A for attendees.

The session will not be recorded. If you cannot attend but would like more information about applying for an ERC grant, please email Dr Penner (eap49@cam.ac.uk).

*Please note: this session is aimed at SAH researchers in the first instance. A reserve waiting-list is available for SHSS researchers.

 

Advancing research impact for College-based researchers
 

07 November 2025, 9:15 to 12:00
Lucia Windsor room, Newnham College
[REGISTER]
 
Jointly hosted by Newnham College, Hughes Hall and Wolfson College, this event is aimed at College-based academics looking to develop their knowledge and understanding of impact in research. There will be presentations by colleagues from the University Research Strategy Office as well as from experienced academics with examples of impactful research. Researchers, postgraduate students and staff from across all Cambridge Colleges (and the wider University) are very welcome to attend. The event will have a particular focus on those working in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, but will also have relevance to those working in other fields.

Who is this event aimed at?

  • College-based researchers such as Junior Research Fellows and other Early Career Researchers, Postgraduate Students, as well as other researchers looking to develop the impact aspect of their work. 
  • College-based staff and those in professional services who work with researchers, for example in Communications, Research Networks and Knowledge Exchange roles.
  • The event will have a particular focus on those working in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, but all are very welcome.

Learning objectives:

  • Develop a deeper understanding of the relevance of knowledge exchange and impact in research.
  • Find out what the next REF might mean for you.
  • Identify where to find support for impact work at Cambridge.

 

Large Grants Contribution Fund (LGCF) Info Event
 

10 November 2025, 15:30 to 17:00
Online
[REGISTER]
 
Do you work on large collaborative research applications, either as an academic or in a supportive professional services role?  If so, we invite you to attend our Large Grants Contribution Fund (LGCF) Info Event, where the Pro Vice Chancellor for Research, Professor Sir John Aston, will introduce the LGCF, successful awardees will discuss their experience, and we can answer your burning questions around the fund and other grant application support offered by the Research Funding Team. If interested in attending, please register here. 
 
This event will be recorded. If you have a question you would like to ask but will not be able to attend, please fill in the registration form and select “Question only” as your ticket option. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing more information about this supportive and enabling fund. 

 

The British Academy ERC Consolidator Grants Webinar
 

24 November 2025, 14:00 to 15:30
Online
[REGISTER]
 
The British Academy will be hosting a webinar on Monday 24 November, 2025 14:00-15:30 (GMT) for UK based researchers in the humanities and social sciences interested in applying for European Research Council (ERC) grants. The webinar will focus on the Consolidator Grant.

If you would like to submit a B1 draft proposal to be considered for feedback during the webinar, please register your interest on the registration form and send your B1 draft to Hannah Moscovitz (h.moscovitz@thebritishacademy.ac.uk) no later than Monday, 10 November, 12:00 GMT (midday).

Please note that not all submitted B1 proposals will be selected for review. However, the guidance provided during the sessions is designed to benefit all attendees.

 

 

Launch Event: BA Early Career Research Network East of England Cluster
 

24 November 2025, 10:30 to 17:00
Cambridge Student Union
[JOIN THE NETWORK and then REGISTER TO ATTEND THE LAUNCH]
 
The British Academy, in partnership with the University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University, and the University of East Anglia, is thrilled to invite you to the launch of the Early Career Researcher Network in the East of England. This is your chance to connect to ECRs from across the East of England region and play an active role in shaping the Network’s future.  

Over the course of the day, you will:

  • Hear from ECRs and senior speakers about the fantastic opportunities that the network offers. 
  • Join a panel and Q&A session with awardees and engaged researchers from across the UK. 
  • Co-design the cluster direction through interactive brainstorming. 
  • Choose from taster sessions in peer coaching, funding, or media engagement. 
  • Network over lunch and social reception to forge connections across disciplines and institutions.

 

From Research to Resonance: Turning Ideas into Ventures
 

05 December 2025, 12:30 to 14:30
CRASSH, Alison Richard Building
Lunch will be provided

Wherever you are in your research impact journey — from early exploration to established engagement — this session is designed for you.
Join us for a two-hour workshop that will demystify how research impact is supported at Cambridge and how your ideas can move beyond academia to shape society, culture, business, and industry.

During the session, you will:

  • Hear from Cambridge’s leading innovators and entrepreneurs in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences who have successfully translated research into real-world products, services, social enterprises, and spinouts.
  • Gain a clear understanding of the University’s impact ecosystem — including the roles of the AHSS Impact Team and Cambridge Enterprise — and how they can support you at every career stage.
  • Explore pathways and funding opportunities to develop business, industry and third sector partnerships, pilot new ideas, and amplify the reach of your research.
  • Connect with peers who are equally committed to turning research into real-world resonance through knowledge exchange and collaboration.


Whether you’re just starting to build a network, are deep into market validation, or scaling an established venture, From Research to Resonance will help you navigate the journey from inspiration to success — and make your research matter beyond the academy.

 

FameLab UK
 

16 January 2026
 
FameLab UK, created by Cheltenham Festivals, is the largest, public facing, science communication competition and training programme in the world and we are absolutely delighted to be the regional hub for the East of England. FameLab offers you a platform to: 

  • Amplify your voice and share your ideas 
  • Boost your confidence in presenting complex theories to a wider audience 
  • Build lasting connections with fellow scientists and STEM professionals 

If successful, you’ll have the incredible opportunity to present your work at Cheltenham Science Festival 2026, a premier event that celebrates the wonders of science with audiences from all over the world. 

Don’t miss your chance to showcase your passion for STEM and Social Sciences be the change you want to see in science communication. Take a look at last year's final here. 

Researchers have just three minutes to communicate their research to their audience and an expert panel of judges. The winner is the speaker who best demonstrates FameLab’s three C’s – Content, Clarity and Charisma. Visit our webpage for more information on how to sign up and contact publicengagement@admin.cam.ac.uk for any questions.  

Save the dates! 
Applications will close on the 16 January 2026. 
Join us for a Welcome to the FameLab Family on the 29 January 2026 at 6pm online. 
Training for all East of England Hub applicants on Content creation will take place on the 2 February 2026 at 12:30pm-2:00pm online. 
Training for East of England semi-finalists on Performance Planning will take place on the 3 March 2026 at 12:00pm-1:30pm online. 
The East of England semifinal will take place in-person in the evening of the 2 April 2026. 

AHSS Research and Impact Bulletin

October 2025

 

UK Research Council Funding

 

EU / International Funding

 

Charity Funding

 

Internal Funding

 

Training / Other

 

DARE UK Real-world Research Exemplar Programme - UKRI

Summary: We invite research teams from across UKRI research councils remit to partner with TREs of appropriate maturity to deliver real-world research utilising new capabilities introduced through the DARE UK programme, these are:

  • data federation, enabling a researcher to be able to log in to one TRE and work transparently with approved data held in other remote TREs
  • analytics federation, enabling a researcher to be able log in to one TRE and send computational jobs to run in other remote TREs against approved data
  • semi-automation of output disclosure checks, including from complex artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) algorithms

The real-world research programmes will serve both as testcases, helping to harden federation capabilities towards production-level maturity, and as showcases, proving the utility of the technology in addressing challenging real-world research questions.

**This is a pre-announcement, and the information may change. The funding opportunity will open on 08 September 2025. More information will be available on this page then.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be from £365,700 up to £609,500. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will fund 80% of the FEC. The duration of this award is a maximum of 12 months.

Funder Deadline: 05 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Restricted Call: ESRC New Investigator Grants

Summary: The ESRC have announced their New Investigator Grant scheme. This scheme is suitable for early career researchers who have yet to make the transition to be an independent researcher. Proposals are welcome in any topic which falls within ESRC’s remit, including projects at the “interface with the wider sciences”, provided that social sciences accounts for at least 50% of the proposed research. The ESRC will award grants of between £100-350K (covered at 80%fEC).
 
University Internal selection
 
The ESRC expect the University to run an internal selection process to ensure that we submit only bids from outstanding individuals with the potential to become the research leaders of the future. The University may only submit a limited number of applications. To meet these requirements, this call will be overseen by a cross-school Committee, as decided by University’s Research Policy Committee.
 
There are three internal calls every year (MT, LT and ET).  Only applicants whose proposals have been approved through the internal selection process will be allowed to proceed with submission of their applications to ESRC.
 
Interested applicants should submit an online application.   
 
You will be required to upload the following:

This letter is very important to the success of the application as it is needed to confirm the details of the departmental support and the applicant’s eligibility. The letter must also specify a department/faculty-based mentor, and a reviewer, both of whom have agreed to provide feedback on the full proposal, should the applicant be selected to proceed. The reviewer may be from within or outside the applicant’s department/faculty. Please note that naming a reviewer is an internal requirement, and the reviewer will not be named on the full application to ESRC. The mentor and the named reviewer will be expected to provide feedback on the full proposal prior to submission to ESRC. This will be coordinated by the School Research Facilitator.

  • A Worktribe report

The report should show the preliminary costing for the project, including the cost of the applicant’s salary and research assistance (if required). The Worktribe report should not be submitted for ROO approval at this stage; the costing is for indicative purposes only, to inform the internal selection. It will be possible to modify it after the internal selection.
 

Award: The ESRC will award grants of between £100-350K (covered at 80%fEC).

Funder Deadline: 07 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any questions, please write to ESRCNewInv@admin.cam.ac.uk.

 

UKRI Gambling Harms Research Coordination Centre (GHRCC)

Summary: The Gambling Harms Research Coordination Centre (GHRCC) is a significant opportunity to shape the field and make a major and lasting contribution to developing the UK’s understanding of gambling and gambling related harms.

The Centre will coordinate and maximise the impact of a range of activities commissioned by UKRI under the new gambling levy, including the GHRIPs, ensuring an integrated approach throughout. It will also be expected to lead, plan, deliver, and manage a multidisciplinary programme of research and devolved funding to identify gaps in the current evidence base, increase diversity, and expand the disciplinary reach of the gambling field.

This will require the Centre to build strong connections with a variety of stakeholders across research institutions, third sector organisations, internationally, and the general public, while facilitating the work and coordination of the GHRIPs.

The Centre will bring together expertise from academic, industry, policy communities, and people with lived experience, working closely with cross-UKRI convened expert advice.

Award: The full economic cost of your project can be up to £10 million. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost.

Funder Deadline: 18 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Gambling harms research and innovation partnerships

Summary: Apply for funding to develop Gambling Harms Research and Innovation Partnerships (GHRIP). The GHRIPs will be commissioned through a two-phase competitive process. The full programme will make up to £50m available over five years. This is the GHRIP phase one opportunity.

During phase one you must provide resource and support capacity across stakeholders to undertake partnership development and landscape evidence analysis required to design the phase two work programme.

The phase one funding opportunity offers initial seed-corn funding so that applicants may dedicate time to developing partnerships. The funding is intended to resource the development of high-quality proposals to the phase two funding opportunity, by ensuring that partnership building is resourced, reflecting the essential role of partners in the public, third and private sectors.

During phase two, each successful GHRIP will deliver a co-designed programme of activity that reflects the funding opportunity aims and objectives. For a detailed overview, see ‘phase one activity’ and ‘phase two activity’ below.

Phase one activity
The purpose of phase one is to provide resource and support capacity across stakeholders to undertake partnership development and landscape evidence analysis required to design the phase two work programme.

You will be expected to deliver the following activities and outputs during phase one:

  • building, strengthening or diversifying partnerships between research organisations or research teams and relevant stakeholders
  • dialogue and co-creation with stakeholders and lived experience participants to further understand needs and surface opportunities for collaboration
  • design and deliver workshops
  • mapping of relevant data
  • landscape and evidence analysis to build the evidence base for the phase two application
  • embed co-creation practices and evaluation mechanisms into public and community engagement activities to ensure they are inclusive, impactful, and responsive to stakeholder needs.
  • establish an appropriate model for phase two

Award: The full economic cost of your phase one project can be up to £150,000. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will fund 80% of the full economic cost. UKRI will fund up to 20 phase one awards for one year.

Funder Deadline: 18 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Collaborative doctoral landscape award in the arts and humanities

Summary: UK non-higher education institutions (non-HEI), individual organisations or consortia, can apply to become arts and humanities collaborative doctoral landscape award grant holders to support and provide high-quality doctoral training.

AHRC will support up to 50 doctoral studentships per year, for four years through this scheme. You can apply for a minimum of three students per year (two in exceptional circumstances). Doctoral projects must align with the organisation’s priorities and are undertaken with a university partner.

The first cohort of students will start in October 2027.

Non-HEIs can be any type of organisation in the UK that has the research capacity to host doctoral students. This would include a wide range of creative and cultural organisations contributing to arts and humanities research, for example:

  • galleries
  • libraries
  • museums and archives
  • the creative industries
  • public and third sector organisations

The application must be from a non-HEI organisation either:

  • as an individual organisation
  • as a consortia of non-HEI organisations
  • with a university partner, in specific circumstances

Non-HEIs do not need to have held awards under the Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) scheme to be eligible to apply or have independent research organisation status. However, you must be able to demonstrate that you have the capacity to manage at least three studentships per year.

Non-HEIs, which do not have capacity to host three students per year, may wish to submit a joint application as a consortium. If successful, the consortium would be the collaborative doctoral landscape award grant holder.

Award: Between three and fifty studentships

Funder Deadline: 20 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Early Career Fellowships in Cultural and Heritage Institutions: 2025

Summary: The overall purpose of this funding opportunity is to enable early career postdoctoral (or equivalent) researchers to gain research and career experience in the galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) sector.

You will do this through working in a major cultural or heritage host organisation, on a co-designed research project that will also benefit the host organisation.

The objectives of the scheme are to:

  • create new opportunities for early career postdoctoral researchers to build, deepen or broaden their experience of working in, and with, major cultural and heritage organisations
  • develop the fellows’ skills and future research career in areas of relevance to the work, collections and practices of cultural and heritage organisations
  • deliver high quality and impactful research and innovation projects
  • enhance the host organisation’s capacity to undertake research and innovation activities closely aligned with its priorities and strategies, and leading to practical benefits and outcomes for the host
  • address a need across the GLAM sector in respect of the lack of dedicated support at the early stage of research careers
  • promote equality, diversity and inclusion principles
  • strengthen efforts to build and diversify research capabilities in the cultural heritage research and innovation ecosystem
  • further extend the GLAM sector’s engagement with, and contribution to, society
  • catalyse high quality and impactful research and innovation projects

This will be achieved through funding individual fellowships for early career researchers hosted by cultural and heritage independent research organisations, with a complementary programme of networking events and cohort career development activities for the fellows.

Award: Projects can cost up to £312,500 (Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funds 80%). An expression of interest form must be completed and successful applications will then be invited to apply. Fellowships start 1 January 2027 and last one to two years (longer if part-time).

Funder Deadline: 10 December 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

2025 Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities: with a focus on arts, humanities and social sciences research

Horizon Europe from 2024 Work Programme Calls going forward
Successful UK applicants will be funded by the EU, under the Horizon Europe Programme.
Updates on Association: Please visit the Research Operation Office’s EU pages. 

With the publication of the 2025 Work Programme of Horizon Europe and the UK’s associated member status, there are numerous funding opportunities available to Cambridge researchers. Net4Society have published a document highlighting SHSS Opportunities that span across the different clusters. Please click here to read.

There is also a draft publication of the Horizon Europe 2026-2027 Work programme that can be found here. These are yet to be ratified, but are not likely to change significantly prior to the programme’s ratification in Spring 2026.

If you are a researcher working in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences and you have any questions about applying to Horizon Europe funding, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Dr Elizabeth Penner, AHSS Research Facilitator (EU/Intl funding)

 

ERC Consolidator Grant

Summary:  The ERC Consolidator Grant is for researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of experience since completion of their PhD. This programme is for PIs who will consolidate their own independent research team or programme. PIs must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition and feasibility of their research proposal.

Award: Up to € 2 million for a period of 5 years. An additional € 1 million can be requested to cover start-up costs, the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities.

Deadline: 13 January 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Restricted Call: Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships

Summary: The Leverhulme Trust has pre-announced the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships call, due to open on 3rd November 2025. Ten awards of up to £5 million will be made to UK universities in this round, with each award to fund up to 30 Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships in a priority research area for that institution.   
 
The Trust and the scheme have a focus on funding interdisciplinary research, and it is therefore expected that topics will involve more than one discipline.  
 
For further information about the call, see the funder’s guidance and the attached bid guidance document from the Postgraduate Research Office.   

On 26 September RSO co-hosted a call information session with the Post Graduate Research Office. The session was recorded and can be shared with those who are interested in this funding call but could not attend the session. If you would like to access the recording, please contact Andrea Walker at Researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk for the link.

 
University Internal selection process 
A university may submit only one application as lead but may partner in multiple applications, provided they are in different disciplinary areas. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls policy for both Cambridge-led applications and those where Cambridge would be the non-lead partner.    
 
To take part in the internal selection, please complete our online form by 23rd October 2025 (if asked to log-in, please use your University SSO details). You will need the following information and documents to complete the form: 

  • Name(s) and affiliation(s) of principal applicant and co-applicant(s) at the University Cambridge and any partner institution, plus brief biographical details about the principal applicant (max 200 words) 
  • The title and disciplinary area of the proposal 
  • If the proposal is collaborative with another institution, whether the University of Cambridge would be the lead or non-lead partner 
  • A programme synopsis covering the following (max 1200 words): 
  • An outline of the topic and fields of study, and alignment with strategic priorities of the University/Schools/Departments. For collaborative applications, please also outline the basis and history of the partnership and how the programme will be managed.  
  • An overview of plans for the supervision of doctoral scholars, including the arrangements for selecting supervisors and monitoring student progress.  
  • A brief overview of the proposed training and cohort-building activities.  
  • An outline of how the proposed programme would utilise and administer the post-doctoral support element.  
  • A brief summary of the relationship between the proposed Doctoral Scholarship programme and any current doctoral training awards in this area, if applicable.  
  • How the Leverhulme Scholarships would provide added value in the chosen research subject area and to the university/universities and how the University might sustain a legacy of the Scholarships in the chosen area.   
  • A letter of support from the principal applicant’s Head of Department, countersigned by the relevant Head of School.

 
Applications will be assessed against the following subset of the funder’s general criteria and specific criteria for this call:  

  1. The originality, importance and significance of the programme.  
  2. The strength of the case for the choice of subject area identified as a priority for doctoral training.  
  3. The quality of the proposed plans for the supervision of doctoral scholars, and the training and cohort-building activities.  
  4. How well the proposed scholarships fits within the current institutional provision for doctoral training (at both universities, where applicable) and the extent to which the award would add value and deliver a legacy for the research in the chosen area  

 
The outcome of the internal selection will be announced in November 2025 and support will be available to the selected application(s) to develop the proposed programme.  

Award: Ten awards of up to £5 million will be made to UK universities in this round. 

Funder Deadline: 

  • Internal Restricted Call: 23 October 2025
  • Scheme Opens: 03 November 2025
  • Funder deadline: 06 March 2026  
  • Decision: July 2026  

Research Facilitation Contact:  researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk 

 

British Academy-CIFAR Global Fellowship

Summary: The British Academy is pleased to announce, in partnership with The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), a call for applications to the CIFAR Global Scholars Program.

This is a two-year opportunity (2026-2028) to collaborate and receive mentorship within a close-knit, interdisciplinary network of leading global researchers in a CIFAR research program.

We encourage UK-based researchers within the social sciences and humanities to apply and take advantage of this unique opportunity. Successful applicants join one of CIFAR’s interdisciplinary research programs, collaborating with global research leaders to advance transformative knowledge and address some of the most important questions facing science and humanity.

CIFAR Programs accepting applications, in partnership with the British Academy, include:

Award: The CIFAR Global Scholars Program provides:

  • $100,000 CAD in unrestricted research support. These funds can be used for research expenses, teaching release, student or postdoc support, conference travel, and more.
  • Opportunities to apply for CIFAR seed funds. These time-limited funds support high-risk, high-reward interdisciplinary collaborations with CIFAR Fellows, Advisors and other Global Scholars.
  • Membership in the extended community of CIFAR Global Scholars. This network of creative and like-minded peers across cohorts and diverse disciplines offers invaluable support and further opportunity for collaboration.
  • Targeted training in essential areas of research leadership, including team leadership, trainee mentorship, science communication and science advocacy.

Funder Deadline: 05 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Horizon Europe Pump Priming collaboration between UK and EU partners 2026

Summary: This programme is providing pump priming funding to seed collaborations for applications to specific Horizon Europe topics in Pillar 2. The aim is to build collaborative activity between UK and EU/Associated Countries’ entities in Pillar 2 where the major consortia building type of applications in Horizon Europe are centred. This will help UK-based entities overcome the barriers to collaborative engagement with EU/Associated Countries’ partners to maximise the opportunities Horizon Europe presents. For the purpose of this call, Associated Countries include those countries in the process of associating as listed on the Europa website. Third country partners, such as Switzerland, can also be considered as appropriate, but projects and proposed consortia must provide confidence that they will address necessary eligibility and impact criteria.

The call is focused solely on Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe – Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness.

Award: We are able to offer awards of up to £10,000. This will cover collaboration preparation activities to enable multinational consortium building, as well as costs for developing the project ideas and gaining a better understanding of the market opportunities.

Funder Deadline: 05 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

British Academy Small Grants

Summary: The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences for a defined research project.

Award: Up to £10,000. Grants are tenable for between one and 24 months.

Funder Deadline: 05 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship

Summary: Research Fellowships are open to experienced researchers, particularly those who are or have been prevented by routine duties from completing a programme of original research. Priority will be given to applicants whose teaching and administrative duties have significantly impacted their ability to undertake research in the three years prior to their application.
.
Award: The maximum value of a Fellowship is £70,000. Fellowships are tenable for between 3 and 24 months.

Funder Deadline: 06 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

DisCouRSE Flexible Fund - Round 1

Summary: The DisCouRSE Network+ project aims to encourage and support the development of leaders of all kinds across all digital Research Technical Professional (dRTP) roles, primarily within the UK, resulting in an empowered and connected community equipped to shape the future of digital research. We have a twin focus on leadership training and dRTP career pathways – preparing the next generation of leaders and ensuring roles exist for them to lead within.

Our flexible fund supports community-led projects aligned with this goal, enabling aspiring leaders to trial approaches to enhancing skills and career opportunities within their local contexts, build new connections through joint initiatives, and strategically assess options for future investment and activity.

This first call has no specific focus areas. Any proposals relevant to DisCouRSE’s aims above are allowed. The intent is to be open to ideas from the community, enabling the Network to learn what is already happening and could be expanded with our support, and enabling you to do “proof of concept” work to support future larger proposals. We welcome applications that seek to expand on existing work, or to kick-start activities that you are already thinking about.
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Award: Up to £10k funded at 80% fEC. Projects should start between 01/01/2026 and 01/04/2026 and last no more than 12 months.

Funder Deadline: 14 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Career Development Award

Summary: This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing.
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Award: Provides a salary for the grantholder (if required) and research expenses. Please request for level and duration of funding that's justifiable for your proposed research.

Funder Deadline: 20 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. 

Research questions should generate knowledge that leads to a shift in understanding or delivers new insight into how human life and health work. We welcome proposals that may have a clinical or societal impact or have translational potential, but the focus should be on discovery research.   

We fund research into the: 

  • fundamental processes that underpin biology, to understand more about how human life works
  • complexities of human health and disease, including clinical and population-based approaches
  • burden of disease and its determinants where this brings new and transformational knowledge
  • development of methodologies, conceptual frameworks, technologies, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research
  • needs, values and priorities of the people and communities affected by disease and health disparities
  • social, ethical, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts of human health and disease.

Award: The average size of a Discovery Award is £3.5 million. Applications above £5 million will be subject to additional scrutiny. Awards can be up to 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, and may be longer if held on a part-time basis. The average duration of a Discovery Award is 7 years, although we have supported awards from 3 to 8 years.

Funder Deadline: 25 November 2025

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Early-Career Awards

Summary: This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. The researcher will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the aware, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Project duration is usually 5 years, but may be less for some disciplines and longer if held on a part-time basis.

Award: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses.

Funder Deadline: 17 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Trust Research Project - Outline Application

Summary: Research Project Grants provide financial support for research projects of high quality and potential, the choice of theme and the design of the research lying entirely with the applicant (the Principal Investigator). 

Award: The maximum grant value is £500,000. Research Project Grants may be held for up to five years.

Funder Deadline: 27 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Nuffield Foundation Strategic Fund

Summary: The Nuffield Foundation’s Strategic Fund is  open to ambitious, cross-cutting research  proposals that seek to address some of the  most pressing social challenges of our time.

The Strategic Fund is reserved for the funding of original, transformative ideas that have the scale and ambition to anticipate and address some of the most significant themes and  developments shaping the UK public policy agenda, now and in the future. These are major grants, typically in the range of £1–3 million and are expected to last between two and  five years. 

Strategic Fund applications should respond to one or more of our five priority questions, and/or explore the connections between them:

  • How can we build a prosperous and fair society, where people are secure
  • How can we build an inclusive society, where people thrive and feel they belong, in the context of changing
    demography and ways of life?
  • How can we ensure that rapid developments in science and technology work for people and society?
  • How can policies to address climate change be developed in a way that promotes a prosperous, fair and inclusive society? 
  • How can we build and maintain the effective, accountable and trustworthy institutions that our society and democracy need and can fulfil their potential?

Award: Between £1 million and £3 million

Funder Deadline: 16 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship

Summary: For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

Award: Applications are invited for a minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000.  A Visiting Professorship must last at least 3 months. Grants between 3 and 6 months must be completed in one visit. Grants between 6 and 12 months can be spread over two or more visits, with 12 months being the maximum duration for a visit.

Funder Deadline: 01 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas can request financial contributions from this fund. Funding may be requested for activities that are complementary to the external funding and contributions from Departments / Schools / Non-school institutions. Activities that add value in the following areas are particularly encouraged: widening participation and inclusion; improving partnerships locally / nationally / internationally; capacity and capability building; working with less advantaged partners. Leveraging funding for existing grant awards is not in the remit of this fund. All applications must include one or more external partners and only applications led by Cambridge PIs are eligible.

Award: Up to 10% of the award value. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and Rpc@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

REF Impact Funding

Summary: Internal funding is available from the Research Strategy Office to support the development of the University’s REF impact submission. It is expected that successful applications will fund impact activities that may feed into potential impact case studies only where no other monies are available. Applications will be reviewed by the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team. 

Submissions may include (but are not restricted to):

  • Support for gathering feedback from public engagement activities
  • Economic health monitoring
  • Surveying/engaging with research users to evaluate impact
  • Independent evaluation of impacts
  • Resource to collate citations in policy documents

Award: Up to £10,000.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team

 

All Council Harmonised IAA Impact Starter Fund Call 2024-2025

Summary: Impact Starter funding will be available on a rolling basis to fund short-term projects of up to three months duration. Projects are expected to be short, cost-effective ways of kick-starting impact creation from research findings. The Impact Starter Fund will only consider projects that do not qualify for other IAA funding calls.

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

 

Isaac Newton Trust Emergency Bridge & Underwriting

Summary: This funding call is designed to help provide support for emergent needs and opportunities, specifically targeting short periods of emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

This funding scheme should not be used to tide over researchers repeatedly or provide long term funding. Therefore, priority will be given to first time applications.

The named applicant should be a PI or independent researcher. Where an established researcher seeks a contribution to their own salary, the applicant should be the Head of institution.

It is expected that: 

  • Future funding has been applied for or has been secured at the time of application. A clear plan and timescale should be included in the application
  • Salary costs for Early Career Researchers and Postdoctoral Research Associates are prioritised
  • Retaining the named Research Associate, in need of funding, is important to the project or research group. Awarded funding should also benefit the Research Associate’s personal career development
  • The project can be brought to a satisfactory conclusion if the intended further funding is not secured
  • Normally, applications should not be for retrospective funding

Award: Up to £30,000 for a duration between 3 to 6 months

Funder Deadline: 09 October 2025

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Project Start-up Grants

Summary: This funding programme is designed to support the establishment of new, stellar quality, visionary projects. Trustees will be looking for relevant expertise and the attainment of results in the time available. 

Projects might include:

  • Developing existing work in a new direction
  • Establishing a new explorative methodology
  • Innovative research and scholarship unlikely to be funded from standard sources. This would include topics falling between the remit of two Research Councils or niche interdisciplinary research
  • Seed-corn funding 
  • Start-up costs

The named applicant should be a PI or independent researcher. Where a researcher seeks a contribution to their own salary, the applicant should be the Head of institution.

Established College Teaching Officers may also apply for research support for a sabbatical term or terms. In the case of a College Teaching Officer applying for research support, the application should be supported by the College Senior Tutor with formal support from the relevant Institution.

Priority will be given to applicants who are Early Career Researchers. Research-active recent retirees may also apply.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of 12 months

Funder Deadline: 09 October 2025

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Fellowship Support

Summary: This funding call is designed to contribute match or top-up funding towards an externally awarded Early Career Fellowship to be held at the University. This includes Early Career Researchers who:

  • Are applying for fellowship funding and need evidence of contributory funds
  • Hold an offer of an externally funded, competitively awarded Early Career Fellowship that requires matching funds or falls short of the University’s basic salary or cannot cover a full-time position. For example, Royal Commission 1851 Fellowships
  • Require an additional modest consumables budget which cannot be provided by the host institution

The INT supports the Leverhulme Trust’s Early Career Fellowship scheme under a dedicated programme – see Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships.

The named applicant should be a PI or independent researcher currently supervising the Fellow in question. In cases where this is not possible, the applicant should be the Head of institution.

Please note that the INT does not reconsider unsuccessful applications for the same project unless there has been a substantial material change in circumstances.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 3 years.

Funder Deadline: 09 October 2025

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

CRASSH Events & Initiatives Funding

Summary: CRASSH offers support to postdocs and academic staff employed by the University of Cambridge or one of its Colleges to run a wide range of events and creative initiatives. We invite you to apply for funding and logistical support for any activity that will foster the exchange of ideas across disciplines and cultures, forge new collaborations between researchers and other participants, bring academic research to wider publics, or explore the connections between research and artistic practice. Events are to take place between March and June 2026.

Award: Funding of up to £1500 is available for one-day events, £2500 for two-day events, and £1000 for other kinds of initiative. Additional funding may be available for events that experiment with new formats and/or introduce creative or collaborative elements.

Funder Deadline: 15 October 2025

Contact: CRASSH’s Events Manger at events@crassh.cam.ac.uk

 

Research Developing Enhanced Funding

Summary: The applications for RD Enhanced Funding are now open. This fund is intended to enable Schools, Faculties and Departments to deliver Researcher Development events and programmes for their PhD students and postdocs.  

The application form can be found here.

You can read more about the RD Enhanced Funding scheme, guidance and application process on our website.
 Please note:

  • Nominal funding for catering may be requested: £3 per participant up to a maximum of £150 per event
  • A copy of the application questions can be viewed on our website 
  • The deadline for receipt of applications is midnight on the 27 October
  • Successful applicants will have 12 months to spend awarded funds. 
  • Individual researchers are not eligible to apply for Enhanced Funding 
  • A short evaluation will be requested from all successful applicants (more information and evaluation form you can find on the website).

 Award: Varies. The budget for Enhanced Funding is £60k per annum. There is no specific funding envelope per round of applications (see dates below); decisions will be made based on the quality of the proposals received. 

Funder Deadline: 27 October 2025

Contact: If you have any questions or concerns, then please do not hesitate to get in touch: researcher.development@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Global Humanities Mobilities Scheme Grant, Round 5

Summary: The Global Humanities Initiative is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and universities in China (Fudan, Nanjing), India (Ashoka), the Middle East (American University of Beirut), Latin America (Universidad Diego Portales, Chile), West Africa (University of Ghana) and Turkey (Sabanci University). It seeks to advance the Humanities as a common enterprise, incorporating traditional and new ways of scholarship and developing novel ways of teaching and researching.

One of our main goals is to foster the mobility of staff between our institutions. To that end we have designed a scheme to provide funding for scholarly exchange between Cambridge and the other network partners that leads to joint teaching ventures (primarily but not exclusively at post-graduate level) and builds the basis for new research initiatives which can lead to larger-scale opportunities/collaborations in the future. Applications are normally considered for stays of between two and four weeks. We particularly welcome applications that enable students and researchers to understand and interrogate new ideas and foster a greater plurality of voices in the scholarly community.

Award: The scheme will cover the costs of travel, visa, accommodation and subsistence pro rata for between two and four weeks. Together with our partner universities we have worked out appropriate packages for each destination. Detailed budgets are therefore not required. Successful applicants will receive full details when they receive their award.

Funder Deadline: 10 November 2025

Contact: Globalhumanities@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Isaac Newton Trust Strategic Awards

Summary: Trustees are interested to see applications which catalyse new forms of collaboration aiming to generate institutional, perhaps interdisciplinary programmes and projects of strategic value to the University for the promotion of education or research. Proposed research projects should aim to be transformational with a prospect of longevity and financial sustainability. Applications need to be supported by a Pro-Vice-Chancellor or Chair of School.

If you are considering making an application for a Strategic Research Project, please contact the Director in the first instance to discuss your proposal.

Award: Up to £500,000 for a project duration of up to 5 years.

Funder Deadline: 05 February 2026 (Outline Stage Application). Full Application by invitation only.

Contact: administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

ERC Consolidator Grant Webinar recording available
 

UKRO
The webinar provided information on the submission process, how proposals are evaluated and other elements you’ll need to consider when designing a project for the ERC Consolidator Grant

Please find the recording of the webinar and pdf version of the slides on the ERC Consolidator Grant 2026 Webinar event page

 

Research Skills Training Programme 2025-2026
 

various dates
 
The Research Skills Training Programme from University of Cambridge Libraries and Archives is now available for bookings.
 
Whether you're a graduate student, postdoc, or research support professional, this programme will help you build essential skills and confidence for every stage of the research journey.

What’s covered?
Our expert-led sessions cover a wide range of topics, including:

  •  Reading and Note-making
  •  Literature searching
  •  Academic writing
  •  Data management
  •  Referencing and Copyright
  •  Thesis deposit
  •  Publishing, Fair Attribution & Metrics

Who can attend?
Designed primarily for PhD students and researchers, the sessions are open to all Cambridge staff and students.
 
Learn more and book your place
Questions? Contact: ResearcherDevelopment@lib.cam.ac.uk

 

Public Engagement Training - The Engaged Researcher
 

Various dates
 
The Public Engagement ‘Engaged Researcher’ training schedule for 2025/26 is now available and open for bookings in the University Training Booking System (UTBS). The programme includes an introduction to Public Engagement, working with museums and schools, as well as drop-in sessions where you can talk to a member of the Public Engagement team. 

For any other queries about Public Engagement, please email publicengagement@admin.cam.ac.uk.

 

NCACE Evidence Cafe - Collaborative Research Between Universities and Cultural Institutions: Achieving Transformative Impact
 

09 October 2025, 14:00 to 15:30, Online
 
In this Evidence Café session, you will explore how collaborative research between universities and cultural institutions can drive meaningful and transformative change. The session will start with a presentation of research findings from a project supported by the Society for Research in Higher Education (SRHE), highlighting key insights into effective partnership practices.

A panel discussion will follow, featuring representatives from a range of cultural institutions. The discussion will offer diverse perspectives on how cross-sector collaboration can deliver transformative outcomes and enhance the societal value. Contributors include:

•    Dr Ning Baines, Lecturer in Marketing - University of Leicester
•    Sarah Campbell, Associate Director for Arts and Culture - University of Exeter
•    Joanna Norman, Director of the V&A Research Institute, National Art Library and Archives - V&A
•    Prof Helen Lawton Smith, Professor of Entrepreneurship - Birkbeck University of London
•    Ailsa Roberts, Research Manager - National Galleries of Scotland
•    Dr Federica Rossi, Associate Professor of Economic Policy - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
•    Evelyn Wilson, Co-Director - NCACE

This event will be of particular interest to academics, arts and cultural professionals, and all those engaged in or exploring collaborative approaches to research and impact. For more information and to register click here.

 

Postdoc Academy Mentoring Scheme
 

19 October 2025, application deadline
 
The Postdoc Academy Mentoring Scheme pairs postdocs with a mentor from academia or another sector including industry, start-ups and charity. The match offers postdocs the opportunity to have reflective and developmental career conversations over nine months. The next mentoring period is from January to September 2026. Postdocs who wish to be mentored in the next round should submit the mentee application form by 19 October.  
The Postdoc Academy is also seeking new mentors for the scheme. If you would like to be a mentor, please complete the mentor application form. Mentor applications are accepted on a rolling basis.  

Please send any questions to mentoring.pda@admin.cam.ac.uk.

 

Advancing research impact for College-based researchers
 

07 November 2025, 9:15 to 12:00
Lucia Windsor room, Newnham College
[REGISTER]
 
Jointly hosted by Newnham College, Hughes Hall and Wolfson College, this event is aimed at College-based academics looking to develop their knowledge and understanding of impact in research. There will be presentations by colleagues from the University Research Strategy Office as well as from experienced academics with examples of impactful research. Researchers, postgraduate students and staff from across all Cambridge Colleges (and the wider University) are very welcome to attend. The event will have a particular focus on those working in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, but will also have relevance to those working in other fields.

Who is this event aimed at?

  • College-based researchers such as Junior Research Fellows and other Early Career Researchers, Postgraduate Students, as well as other researchers looking to develop the impact aspect of their work. 
  • College-based staff and those in professional services who work with researchers, for example in Communications, Research Networks and Knowledge Exchange roles.
  • The event will have a particular focus on those working in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, but all are very welcome.

Learning objectives:

  • Develop a deeper understanding of the relevance of knowledge exchange and impact in research.
  • Find out what the next REF might mean for you.
  • Identify where to find support for impact work at Cambridge.