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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Research Funding and Strategic Initiatives
 

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.  

The most recent bulletins can be found below and you can sign up here to receive the Bulletin directly.

 

Archived Bulletins

March 2024

 

 

AHSS Bulletin February 2024

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

February 2024

 

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

 

Pre-announcement: Future Leaders Fellowships, round 9

Summary: Applications are encouraged from the entirety of the UKRI remit. Fellowships can also lead and develop innovation. We define innovation as the practical translation of disruptive ideas into novel, relevant and valued products, services, processes, systems or business models, making them readily available to markets, government and society, creating economic or social value from ideas.

Future Leaders Fellowships are personal awards to support fellows to develop as impactful and influential research or innovation leaders.

You are encouraged to think broadly about the type of activities you may pursue as part of your research or innovation objectives. This could include:

  • time for work in other environments
  • developing international links
  • developing new skills (for example, in policy or commercialisation)

You should also consider what career development support opportunities are appropriate. This could include mentoring and professional training and development, and relevant training courses that will underpin your future career ambitions and learning. A clear programme of skills development is an essential component of this fellowship.

For this scheme there are match funding requirements for the fellow's salary and a commitment to an open ended position at the end of the Fellowship. Early career academics already in a permanent position can apply, provided they can show they need funding to "transition to research independence".

Award: There is no minimum or maximum project cost
Deadline: TBA internal restricted deadline; 18 June 2024 funder deadline
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

International Fellowships for Doctoral and Early Career Researchers 2024

Summary: The International Placement Scheme (IPS) provides early career researchers, and AHRC-funded and ESRC-funded doctoral students, with inclusive and dedicated access to the internationally renowned collections, programmes and expertise held at IPS host institutions. Fellowships are available at:

USA

  • 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

You will receive £1,000 for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for travel to Japan and China) and £1,925 for each month of the fellowship. You can apply for two to six months of funding.

Award: Between £4,850 and £12,750.
Deadline: 12 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Strengthening the resilience of the UK food system

Summary: The objectives of this funding opportunity are to support interdisciplinary research and innovation which will:

  • improve the resilience of the UK food system to cascading risks and systemic shocks
  • develop interventions to increase the resilience of the UK food system. This can include measures focused on robustness and recovery (such as, a food system actors ability to resist and quickly recover from a shock), but we would strongly encourage measures focused on reorientation (such as, where food system actors adapt their activities leading to alternative food system outcomes, either before or after disruption. For more information, please refer to the ‘Additional information’ section
  • inform policy and practice by working with stakeholders (government, business and the third sector) on interventions
  • increase interdisciplinary research capability and capacity in resilient UK food systems

Award: Up to £1.75 million fEC funded at 80% for projects 36 months in duration. Projects must start by 01 September 2024.
Deadline: 19 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC follow-on funding for impact and engagement, round 3

Summary: The proposed activities should enhance the value and wider benefit of your original research project, and have a significant economic, social, cultural or policy impact.

The follow-on funding for impact and engagement aims to:

  • explore unforeseen pathways to impact either within the lifespan of an AHRC research project or resulting from a completed research project
  • enhance the value and benefits of AHRC-funded research beyond academia
  • encourage and enable a range of interactions and creative engagements 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

Award: Between £30,000 and £100,000 fEC funded at 80%. Project duration is up to 12 months.
Deadline: 26 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC Responsive Mode: Standard Research Grant - Round Three

Summary: We’re looking for individual researchers with proposals 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.

We expect the project lead and any project co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1,500,00 fEC funded at 80% for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: 26 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

UKRI systems approaches to advance the UK's transition to Net Zero

Summary: The opportunity will focus on the delivery of world leading cross-cutting research into the development and implementation of systems approaches to advance the UK’s transition to Net Zero.

Research programmes will:

  • deliver a stakeholder co-created programme of research that directly advances the UK’s Net Zero transition
  • set the transition in a broader context focussing on the interactions between Net Zero drivers and broader environmental, social, political, economic and security outcomes to deliver an equitable, prosperous, sustainable and resilient Net Zero future
  • deliver world leading transdisciplinary, collaborative, cross-cutting research into the development and implementation of integrated quantitative or qualitative (or both) systems approaches which will deliver actionable insights for key stakeholders from the increased understanding and analysis of multiple complex systems and the interactions between them to support the UK’s transition to Net Zero
  • collaborate with stakeholders, including government (local and national), businesses and individuals, to understand, consider, and support the adoption of the developed approaches
  • prioritise research and innovation challenges with the greatest potential to support evidence-based decision making by stakeholders and future planning under uncertainty to support the removal of barriers to delivery, identify and mitigate unintended consequences and drive a coordinated transition to Net Zero
  • demonstrate the opportunity, benefits, barriers, and limitations to taking a systems approach and deliver actionable insights and real-world impact on the pathway to Net Zero within the life of the programme in one or more test case areas which have been co-created with relevant stakeholders.

There is no single way of ‘taking a systems approach’. Systems approaches are frameworks or methodologies focussed on understanding the whole system and exploring the interconnections within and between systems. Systems approaches recognise the complexity of the interactions between different unpredictable and ever-changing elements, actors and drivers at different scales from a sector to a business, a region or a country. They enable a new way of approaching the complexity of how technology, infrastructure, economics, governance and, crucially, individual and social behaviours and attitudes shape the world around us.

Award: Up to £5.78 million fEC, funded at 80% for projects up to 60 months in duration.
Deadline: 26 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

The UKRI Ayrton challenge programme, outline

Summary: Work funded will span the Ayrton Fund themes: Low Carbon Supplies, Super-Efficient Demand, and Smart Delivery. The programme will target the Ayrton thematic challenges including:

  • next generation solar
  • zero-emissions generators
  • sustainable cooling for all
  • modern cooking
  • energy efficiency
  • industrial decarbonisation
  • clean transport
  • smart energy systems
  • energy storage
  • clean hydrogen
  • critical minerals
  • inclusive energy and leave no-one behind

The Ayrton challenge programme will fund interdisciplinary research projects helping to drive forward the clean energy transition in developing countries, by developing both innovative technologies and the knowledge needed to enable delivery of long-term sustainable change.

Projects will contribute to meeting the United Nations(UN) Sustainable Development Goals 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), or 13 (Climate Action) and lead to climate change mitigation in developing countries.

Award: Between £2 million and £4 million.
Deadline: 09 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Arts and humanities-led research commercialisation

Summary: This funding opportunity seeks to encourage innovative applications for enhancing inclusive engagement with research funded by UKRI through the application of arts and humanities-led methodologies in a commercial context. We are looking to build a portfolio of research commercialisation activities involving a wide variety of collaborations across a diverse range of stakeholders and partners including public, private and third sector organisations, the general public, and community groups. The outcomes and impacts of this funding opportunity will influence the development of future AHRC commercialisation programmes.
Award: £50,000
Deadline: 10 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

ACCESS Flexible Fund Round 2

Summary: We are looking to make three awards to projects that contribute to the ACCESS project's main goal to enhance the visibility, use and impact of climate and environmental social science. Projects will be expected to deliver at least TWO of the following outcomes:

  • New ideas or frameworks
  • New methods of translating evidence or insights (e.g. communication tools)
  • New networks
  • Development of new skills of capacities
  • Increased use of social science amongst specific target groups, for example people in diverse sectors (business/industry, civil society, public sector, journalists and media actors) or non-social scientist disciplinary experts (e.g. natural scientists, engineering and physical scientists).

Applications to Round 2 must have an early career researcher on the project team, either playing a Principal Investigator (Project Lead) or Co-Investigator role.
Award: Between £200,000 and £240,000 funded at 100% fEC for projects up to 2 years in duration.
Deadline: 26 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC Innovation Scholars secondments in design: second round

Summary: Apply for funding to develop your skills and exchange knowledge through the UKRI Innovation Scholars programme. This secondment opportunity is focused on design. For this AHRC opportunity, the aim is to enhance the skills and careers of individuals in design research and innovation. This will be achieved through funding individual secondments focused on research and innovation, with networking events for the secondees.

You must have a desire to proactively engage with design and the motivation to work within it. Interdisciplinary secondment proposals as well as practice-based ones will be welcomed.

Your secondment is expected to:

  • boost your skills, knowledge, networking opportunities and therefore career development
  • intensify knowledge exchange and create porosity between different sectors, resulting in innovative outputs
  • bring benefits to your host organisation
  • add value to the design sector and the UK economy

Projects can last between six months and 36 months and can be full or part-time, or hybrid (a combination of part-time and full-time).

Award: Up to £200,000 funded at 100% for eligible salary, travel and subsistence costs.
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC Catalyst Awards

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: Between £100,000 and £300,000 funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

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.

Projects can be single discipline, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary. The majority of the disciplinary focus of the project must fall within our subject remit; see section seven of the AHRC research funding guide for our remit coverage. Practice-based and practice-led research is supported by this funding opportunity.

Award: Up to £100,000 funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Amazon +10 Initiative: research expeditions to the Amazon

Summary: The funding opportunity aims to support research and technological development in Legal Amazonia, focusing on a deeper understanding of nature-society interactions for sustainable and inclusive development in the region.

We welcome multidisciplinary applications that span the remits of NERC and AHRC though it is not a requirement for funding. Details of the topics we cover can be found on the NERC and AHRC websites.

We invite applications that address the following funding opportunity objectives:

  • support the organisation of scientific expeditions aimed at expanding our knowledge about biodiversity or socio-cultural diversity in the Amazon
  • build institutional research partnerships between organisations in the Amazon and outside the region, and connect researchers with different affiliations
  • foster the strengthening of local research infrastructure and training of professionals in taxonomy, systematics, museology and ethnobiology, under the coordination of teams based in the Amazon
  • encourage scientific research in remote and understudied parts of the Amazon
  • encourage scientific research that proposes ways to surmount the challenges of studying less well-known and less studied taxonomic groups
  • encourage co-creation of applications with traditional knowledge holders from local indigenous peoples, quilombolas, and riparian communities
  • promote activities involving education, popularisation and scientific diffusion to different kinds of audience in all sectors of society, and involving specialists, groups and institutions engaged in formal and non-formal education (for example schools, extension units, museums, science centres, zoos, botanic gardens, aquariums, conservation unit visitor centres and non-governmental organisations)

Award: Up to £1 million for the UKRI component of collaborative projects with Brazilian partners. We will fund 80% of the full economic cost for UK organisation costs. We encourage applications of different sizes. The duration of this award is up to three years. Projects must start by 1 November 2024.
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Pre-announcement: ADR UK research fellowships

Summary: ADR UK (Administrative Data Research UK) invites applications for Research Fellowships to conduct research and analysis demonstrating the policy impact potential of ADR England flagship datasets. These datasets are held within the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service or other ADR UK trusted research environments

We are looking for fellowship proposals that meet the following four objectives:

  • useful research: proposals that will act as ‘pathfinders’ for conducting research and deriving insights from the dataset, and which showcase the potential for policy impact and public benefit
  • useful data: proposals that will develop the data as a useful research resource for future users
  • useful engagement: proposals that will foster opportunities between academia, government, the voluntary and community sector, and the public to allow fresh thinking to flourish and maintain public acceptance of the use of data for research purposes
  • community building: proposals that will greatly boost the applicant’s development as a research leader in their field and include activities promoting the development of a wider community around a particular dataset or theme

Award: Up to £200,000 funded at 80% fEC. Fellowship can last up to 18 months in duration and must begin by 15 October 2024.
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Research Facilitation ContactDr Anna Cieslik

 

UKRI NSF-SBE Lead Agency, round 2

Summary: We're looking for individual researchers with proposals 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.

We expect the project lead and any project co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1.5 million fEC for the UK hosted element of the project. AHRC will fund 80% fEC. The maximum duration of this award is five years.
Deadline: 27 June 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Collaborate with researchers in Luxembourg, round 2

Summary: This funding opportunity funds work with researchers in Luxembourg. Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR).

You can submit collaborative research proposals in any area of arts and humanities within the remit of both Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and FNR.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1.5 million fEC for the UK hosted element of the project. AHRC will fund 80% fEC. The maximum duration of this award is five years.
Deadline: 27 June 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Working with Brazilian Researchers, round 2

Summary: You can apply to work with overseas researchers in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.

Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

Submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the arts and humanities within the remit of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and FAPESP.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1.5 million fEC for the UK hosted element of the project. AHRC will fund 80% fEC. The maximum duration of this award is five years.
Deadline: 27 June 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

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

 

Horizon Europe Main Work Programme

This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
  
Highlighted notices:
Radicalisation and gender
HORIZON-CL3-2024-FCT-01-04
Deadline: 20 November 2024

Combating hate speech online and offline
HORIZON-CL3-2024-FCT-01-05

Deadline: 20 November 2024

Digital solutions to foster participative design, planning and management of buildings, neighbourhoods and urban districts (Built4People Partnership)
HORIZON-CL5-2024-D4-02-05

Deadline: 21 January 2025

 

Proof of Concept Grant

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research, 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. Proof of Concept Grants are therefore on offer only to Principal Investigators whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.
Award: up to € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.
Deadline: 14 March 2024 and 17 September 2024 (tentative deadlines)
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.
Deadline: 29 August 2024, tentative deadline
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Nuffield Foundation Research, Development and Analysis Fund

Summary: Our main focus is on Education, Welfare and Justice but many of our projects cut across and go beyond these broad domains. In particular, we are interested in funding research that takes account of the trends that are shaping today’s increasingly complex society, such as those set out in our 2017-2022 strategy:

  • How do digital technologies and digital communications alleviate, exacerbate and shift vulnerability, and affect concepts of trust, evidence and authority?
  • In what ways do factors such as socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, community and geography affect the vulnerability of people to different types of risk, and how can this be mitigated?
  • What interventions might promote opportunity and reduce adversity through different life stages, and promote social inclusion between and across generations?
  • What are the social and economic implications of physical and mental disability and chronic illness? 
  • How can social policy institutions make better use of research, evidence and data in order to understand better the needs of those they serve, and improve services and outcomes?
  • How might the data infrastructure be used or improved to better understand and explain outcomes for individuals and society?

Examples of specific topics that interest us at present include:

  • Early childhood
  • Skills and employment
  • The cost of living
  • Geographical inequalities
  • Quality of life in later life
  • The quality of and access to public services
  • The long-term implications of COVID-19

Award: Up to £750,000. Please note, the majority of grants the Foundation awards are less than £300,000.
Deadline: 11 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

British Academy International Fellowship

Summary: The overarching aim of the International Fellowships programme is to attract and retain emerging talent in the UK and build a globally connected, mobile research and innovation workforce. 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.

Award: This round of Fellowships will be for a duration of 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.
Deadline: 13 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards

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.
Deadline: 11 April 2024
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 16 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

British Council International Collaboration Grant

Summary: Our International Collaboration Grants encourage new bilateral and multilateral partnerships, providing funding to enable organisations to make and develop creative artwork with their international peers, and help individual artists find innovative ways of collaborating.  

Applications must demonstrate genuine international collaboration and deliver explicit benefit to participating UK artists and organisations and their international partners. Projects can address any theme and we ask applicants to share their approach to diversity, inclusion and environmental sustainability in the delivery of their project. 

Each project should include at least one UK-based organisation and one organisation based in the countries listed below as part of the partnership.

Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Mainland China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Montenegro, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen and Zimbabwe.
 

Information Webinar
To find out more about the International Collaboration Grants and the application process, and hear from previous grantees about their experiences and their top tips, join us online for an information session on Tuesday 13 February 2024.

You can register for the sessions via the link here.

Tuesday 13 February, 09.00–10.00 (GMT)  

Tuesday 13 February, 16.00–17.00 (GMT) 

The deadline for registration is Friday 12 February 2024.

Award: Between £25,000 and £75,000.
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Leverhulme 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.
Deadline: 02 May 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

British Academy Small Grants

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.
Award: Up to £10,000 for projects between 1 and 24 months in duration.
Deadline: 05 June 2024
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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.

 

All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

 

AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme

Summary: The AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme promotes strategic partnerships with non-HEI organisations across the arts and humanities at the University of Cambridge. The fund supports partnership building with specific organisations such as (but not limited to) museums, theatres, social enterprises, NGOs, and government departments. Funds are available for a range of activities including teaching replacement costs, costs for incoming fellowships from the partner organisation, postdoctoral or administrative support, travel and subsistence expenses, and workshops. The scheme aims to allow researchers to create new partnerships with external entities more generally, collaboratively shape research agendas, contribute to future research funding applications (including match-funding for studentships in the DTPs), and further facilitate impact generating activities.

Award: Up to £20,000 cover 100% of directly incurred costs.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

 

West Hub Researchers Fund

Summary: For Postdocs and Researchers who want to foster collaboration and socialisation through relaxed events with guest speakers, discussions and casual socials. Funding covers speaker fees, travel costs and catering.
Award: Up to £2,000
Deadline: 15 February 2024
Contact: grants@westcamhub.co.uk

 

West Hub Community Fund

Summary: Funding open to ALL University of Cambridge community members who want to organise engaging and inclusive events for the local community, such as exhibitions, concerts, sports activities, wellbeing seminars, arts and craft classes for children's events.
Award: Up to £1,000
Deadline: 15 February 2024
Contact: grants@westcamhub.co.uk

 

Cambridge Humanities Research Grants

Summary: The Cambridge Humanities Research Grants scheme (CHRG) supports research in the arts, humanities and social sciences across the University. The scheme welcomes applications from any independent researcher holding a current contract of employment at the point of application.

The Scheme is designed to enable researchers to conduct small-scale research activities, of the highest quality, that will enable them to bid successfully for larger-scale funding from external sponsors, and/or to generate publications, and/or to contribute materially in other ways towards the research objectives of their home institution.

Applications may be made at any time in the year, for the next available gathered field, with outcomes known approximately six weeks later. 

Award: varies depending on scheme between £1,500 and £20,000
Deadline: 25 March 2024
Contact: AHSS Research Strategy at: AHSSresearchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

Grant Writing: Basics
Tuesday, 6 February, 2024 - 10:00 to 11:30, ZOOM

This session is designed to cover the basic elements of developing a successful grant proposal. It is a concentrated, comprehensive introduction to the art of grant writing. We will talk about: 

  • Formulating a research problem
  • Choosing the right funder
  • Key elements of a successful proposal
  • Writing style
  • Common pitfalls

The session is suitable for all career stages. 

Register to attend, follow this link

*registration closes 5 February 2024

 

AHSS Research Strategy Clinic: Deep Dive into Research Culture in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Monday 12 February 2024, 12-1pm via Zoom.

Please register here and the Zoom link will be sent ahead of the session. (If you are unable to attend the session, please use the registration form to flag questions and signal issues to the speakers to help inform discussions).

Research culture is an increasingly important agenda, particularly given the recent inclusion of people, culture and environment as 25% of REF 2029 . The University of Cambridge is setting institutional priorities for our work in this area. This is an opportunity to hear about the work that has been done so far, to help shape our emerging research culture priorities, and also to reflect on how individual researchers and departments across the arts, humanities and social sciences can start to think about how to drive change in their own spaces.  

Discussion will be lead by the Head of Research Culture at the University, Liz Simmonds, and our ECR Assembly Representatives, Dr Joshua Fitzgerald (SHSS) and Dr Georgina Wilson (SAH).

 

Team Building for Social Innovators

15 February 2024, 5pm-8pm
Hauser Forum, 3 Charles Babbage Road, West Cambridge Site, CB3 0GT

The Centre for Global Equality (CGE), Judge Business School (JBS), Cambridge Social Ventures and Cambridge Enterprise invite you to join us for a networking and matchmaking event: Team Building for Social Innovators.

The event will be held from 5 – 8 pm at the Hauser Forum in West Cambridge and will include short case studies from people working on social enterprises, start-ups, tech for good and other innovative projects. If you would like to sign up to present your own project to find new collaborators, please email ahss@enterprise.cam.ac.uk.

There will also be plenty of opportunities for all attendees to connect with potential new team members and collaborators.

Register here

 

Grant Writing: Advanced

05 March 2024, 10 am - 12 pm, ZOOM
This interactive workshop is a follow-up to the “Grant Writing Basics” session. It consists of two parts. In the first half of the session will focus on presenting your research problem in a succinct but engaging way. In the second part of the session, we will review abstracts of successful proposals and identify some strategies to use when writing a grant proposal. 

Register to attend, please follow this link

*registration closes 04 March 2024

 

AHSS Bulletin January 2024

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

January 2024

 

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

 

Pre-announcement: Future Leaders Fellowships, round 9

Summary: Applications are encouraged from the entirety of the UKRI remit. Fellowships can also lead and develop innovation. We define innovation as the practical translation of disruptive ideas into novel, relevant and valued products, services, processes, systems or business models, making them readily available to markets, government and society, creating economic or social value from ideas.

Future Leaders Fellowships are personal awards to support fellows to develop as impactful and influential research or innovation leaders.

You are encouraged to think broadly about the type of activities you may pursue as part of your research or innovation objectives. This could include:

  • time for work in other environments
  • developing international links
  • developing new skills (for example, in policy or commercialisation)

You should also consider what career development support opportunities are appropriate. This could include mentoring and professional training and development, and relevant training courses that will underpin your future career ambitions and learning. A clear programme of skills development is an essential component of this fellowship.

For this scheme there are match funding requirements for the fellow's salary and a commitment to an open ended position at the end of the Fellowship. Early career academics already in a permanent position can apply, provided they can show they need funding to "transition to research independence".

Award: There is no minimum or maximum project cost
Deadline: TBA internal restricted deadline; 18 June 2024 funder deadline
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: Future data services: pilots to enhance data services for the future, ESRC

Summary: This is a pre-announcement for the ‘Future Data Services: pilots to enhance data services for the future ’ funding opportunity.
 
This funding opportunity aims to launch a series of pilot solutions which address current and future data service delivery challenges. These pilots should demonstrate how these challenges could be resolved, an evaluation about how effective they are, and how they could be scaled up with additional funding from April 2025 onwards.
 
The challenges that the pilots should address fall into the following themes:

  • federation of data services
  • data discovery using machine learning or other AI technologies
  • increasing skills capacity for data service professionals

Award: Between £150,000 and £1 million
Deadline: tentative deadline mid-February 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

 

 

ESRC responsive mode: research grants round two

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.

Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million fEC funded at 80% for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: Open Call
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

ESRC responsive mode: working with Luxembourg researchers round two

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.

Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million fEC funded at 80%. Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR) will pay all justified costs for Luxembourg submitted through their system.
Deadline: Open Call
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

ESRC responsive mode: secondary data analysis round two

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 the ESRC’s remit.

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.

Award: Up to £300,000 fEC funded at 80% for projects up to 24 months.
Deadline: Open Call
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

 

ESRC responsive mode: UKRI-SBE lead agency opportunity round two

Summary: You can submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the social sciences within the remits of ESRC and NSF-SBE.

ESRC will fund basic, applied and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics within our 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.

Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million fEC funded at 80% for the UK part of the budget.
Deadline: Open Call
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC: DFG research grants round six (2023 to 2024)

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

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 arts and humanities researchers in the UK, whose research falls within the remit of the AHRC, and humanities researchers in Germany.

Award: Up to £420,000 fEC funded at 80% for projects between 24 and 36 months in duration.
Deadline: 20 February 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

 

International Fellowships for Doctoral and Early Career Researchers 2024

Summary: The International Placement Scheme (IPS) provides early career researchers, and AHRC-funded and ESRC-funded doctoral students, with inclusive and dedicated access to the internationally renowned collections, programmes and expertise held at IPS host institutions. Fellowships are available at:

USA

  • 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

You will receive £1,000 for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for travel to Japan and China) and £1,925 for each month of the fellowship. You can apply for two to six months of funding.

Award: Between £4,850 and £12,750.
Deadline: 12 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Strengthening the resilience of the UK food system

Summary: The objectives of this funding opportunity are to support interdisciplinary research and innovation which will:

  • improve the resilience of the UK food system to cascading risks and systemic shocks
  • develop interventions to increase the resilience of the UK food system. This can include measures focused on robustness and recovery (such as, a food system actors ability to resist and quickly recover from a shock), but we would strongly encourage measures focused on reorientation (such as, where food system actors adapt their activities leading to alternative food system outcomes, either before or after disruption. For more information, please refer to the ‘Additional information’ section
  • inform policy and practice by working with stakeholders (government, business and the third sector) on interventions
  • increase interdisciplinary research capability and capacity in resilient UK food systems

Award: Up to £1.75 million fEC funded at 80% for projects 36 months in duration. Projects must start by 01 September 2024.
Deadline: 19 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

 

AHRC follow-on funding for impact and engagement, round 3

Summary: The proposed activities should enhance the value and wider benefit of your original research project, and have a significant economic, social, cultural or policy impact.

The follow-on funding for impact and engagement aims to:

  • explore unforeseen pathways to impact either within the lifespan of an AHRC research project or resulting from a completed research project
  • enhance the value and benefits of AHRC-funded research beyond academia
  • encourage and enable a range of interactions and creative engagements 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

Award: Between £30,000 and £100,000 fEC funded at 80%. Project duration is up to 12 months.
Deadline: 26 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC Responsive Mode: Standard Research Grant - Round Three

Summary: We’re looking for individual researchers with proposals 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.

We expect the project lead and any project co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1,500,00 fEC funded at 80% for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: 26 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: UKRI systems approaches to advance the UK's transition to Net Zero

Summary: The opportunity will focus on the delivery of world leading cross-cutting research into the development and implementation of systems approaches to advance the UK’s transition to Net Zero.

Research programmes will:

  • deliver a stakeholder co-created programme of research that directly advances the UK’s Net Zero transition
  • set the transition in a broader context focussing on the interactions between Net Zero drivers and broader environmental, social, political, economic and security outcomes to deliver an equitable, prosperous, sustainable and resilient Net Zero future
  • deliver world leading transdisciplinary, collaborative, cross-cutting research into the development and implementation of integrated quantitative or qualitative (or both) systems approaches which will deliver actionable insights for key stakeholders from the increased understanding and analysis of multiple complex systems and the interactions between them to support the UK’s transition to Net Zero
  • collaborate with stakeholders, including government (local and national), businesses and individuals, to understand, consider, and support the adoption of the developed approaches
  • prioritise research and innovation challenges with the greatest potential to support evidence-based decision making by stakeholders and future planning under uncertainty to support the removal of barriers to delivery, identify and mitigate unintended consequences and drive a coordinated transition to Net Zero
  • demonstrate the opportunity, benefits, barriers, and limitations to taking a systems approach and deliver actionable insights and real-world impact on the pathway to Net Zero within the life of the programme in one or more test case areas which have been co-created with relevant stakeholders.

There is no single way of ‘taking a systems approach’. Systems approaches are frameworks or methodologies focussed on understanding the whole system and exploring the interconnections within and between systems. Systems approaches recognise the complexity of the interactions between different unpredictable and ever-changing elements, actors and drivers at different scales from a sector to a business, a region or a country. They enable a new way of approaching the complexity of how technology, infrastructure, economics, governance and, crucially, individual and social behaviours and attitudes shape the world around us.

Award: Up to £5.78 million fEC, funded at 80% for projects up to 60 months in duration.
Deadline: 26 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: The UKRI Ayrton challenge programme, outline

Summary: Work funded will span the Ayrton Fund themes: Low Carbon Supplies, Super-Efficient Demand, and Smart Delivery. The programme will target the Ayrton thematic challenges including:

  • next generation solar
  • zero-emissions generators
  • sustainable cooling for all
  • modern cooking
  • energy efficiency
  • industrial decarbonisation
  • clean transport
  • smart energy systems
  • energy storage
  • clean hydrogen
  • critical minerals
  • inclusive energy and leave no-one behind

The Ayrton challenge programme will fund interdisciplinary research projects helping to drive forward the clean energy transition in developing countries, by developing both innovative technologies and the knowledge needed to enable delivery of long-term sustainable change.

Projects will contribute to meeting the United Nations(UN) Sustainable Development Goals 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), or 13 (Climate Action) and lead to climate change mitigation in developing countries.

Award: Between £2 million and £4 million.
Deadline: 09 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

ACCESS Flexible Fund Round 2

Summary: We are looking to make three awards to projects that contribute to the ACCESS project's main goal to enhance the visibility, use and impact of climate and environmental social science. Projects will be expected to deliver at least TWO of the following outcomes:

  • New ideas or frameworks
  • New methods of translating evidence or insights (e.g. communication tools)
  • New networks
  • Development of new skills of capacities
  • Increased use of social science amongst specific target groups, for example people in diverse sectors (business/industry, civil society, public sector, journalists and media actors) or non-social scientist disciplinary experts (e.g. natural scientists, engineering and physical scientists).

Applications to Round 2 must have an early career researcher on the project team, either playing a Principal Investigator (Project Lead) or Co-Investigator role.
Award: Between £200,000 and £240,000 funded at 100% fEC for projects up to 2 years in duration.
Deadline: 26 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

AHRC Innovation Scholars secondments in design: second round

Summary: Apply for funding to develop your skills and exchange knowledge through the UKRI Innovation Scholars programme. This secondment opportunity is focused on design. For this AHRC opportunity, the aim is to enhance the skills and careers of individuals in design research and innovation. This will be achieved through funding individual secondments focused on research and innovation, with networking events for the secondees.

You must have a desire to proactively engage with design and the motivation to work within it. Interdisciplinary secondment proposals as well as practice-based ones will be welcomed.

Your secondment is expected to:

  • boost your skills, knowledge, networking opportunities and therefore career development
  • intensify knowledge exchange and create porosity between different sectors, resulting in innovative outputs
  • bring benefits to your host organisation
  • add value to the design sector and the UK economy

Projects can last between six months and 36 months and can be full or part-time, or hybrid (a combination of part-time and full-time).

Award: Up to £200,000 funded at 100% for eligible salary, travel and subsistence costs.
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

UKRI NSF-SBE Lead Agency, round 2

Summary: We're looking for individual researchers with proposals 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.

We expect the project lead and any project co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1.5 million fEC for the UK hosted element of the project. AHRC will fund 80% fEC. The maximum duration of this award is five years.
Deadline: 27 June 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Collaborate with researchers in Luxembourg, round 2

Summary: This funding opportunity funds work with researchers in Luxembourg. Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR).

You can submit collaborative research proposals in any area of arts and humanities within the remit of both Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and FNR.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1.5 million fEC for the UK hosted element of the project. AHRC will fund 80% fEC. The maximum duration of this award is five years.
Deadline: 27 June 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Working with Brazilian Researchers, round 2

Summary: You can apply to work with overseas researchers in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.

Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

Submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the arts and humanities within the remit of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and FAPESP.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1.5 million fEC for the UK hosted element of the project. AHRC will fund 80% fEC. The maximum duration of this award is five years.
Deadline: 27 June 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Doctoral focal awards in the arts and humanities

Summary: Formerly pre-announced as focused Centres for Doctoral Training, this is the same funding opportunity but under a new name to align it with other upcoming UKRI doctoral funding opportunities.

To be the lead applicant, you must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding with capacity in the arts and humanities for creative economy or for a healthy planet, people, and place.

Each proposal must include:

  • doctoral training and professional development
  • mechanisms for increasing representation of students from underrepresented groups

Webinars for potential applicants 
AHRC will hold two information webinars for potential applicants and partners, and two online surgery events for applicants who are in the process of preparing their proposals. This will provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

These online events will last 60 minutes each and take place on the following dates:

Deadline: 02 July 2024
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

 

Horizon Europe Main Work Programme

This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
  
Highlighted notices:
Arts and cultural awareness and expression in education and training
HORIZON-CL2-2024-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-08 

Deadline: 07 February 2024

Cultural and creative industries for a sustainable climate transition
HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-01-02
 
Deadline: 07 February 2024

Combating hate speech online and offline
HORIZON-CL3-2024-FCT-01-05

Deadline: 20 November 2024

Digital solutions to foster participative design, planning and management of buildings, neighbourhoods and urban districts (Built4People Partnership)
HORIZON-CL5-2024-D4-02-05

Deadline: 21 January 2025

 

Proof of Concept Grant

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research, 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. Proof of Concept Grants are therefore on offer only to Principal Investigators whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.
Award: up to € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.
Deadline: 14 March 2024 and 17 September 2024 (tentative deadlines)
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.
Deadline: 29 August 2024, tentative deadline
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

 

BA Horizon Europe Pump Priming Collaboration between UK and EU Partners

Summary: The British Academy with the support of the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Royal Academy of Engineering are inviting proposals from UK and EU/Associated Countries-based researchers to pump prime collaborations to support the effective uptake of the opportunities provided by the UK’s association to Horizon Europe.
                                   
Proposals are welcome in all disciplines – engineering, natural sciences, medical and health sciences, humanities, and social sciences.
 
The aim of the call is to develop collaborative activity between UK and EU/Associated Countries’ entities in Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe. Applicants will need to identify a specific upcoming call and topic in this Pillar as the focus of their proposed collaboration with the goal of submitting an application to that upcoming call building on this pump priming funding.
 
The scheme is a particular opportunity for those less experienced with applying to EU Framework Programmes, such as early career researchers and non-academic organisations. Applications from those wishing to engage with EU Framework Programmes for the first time are strongly encouraged.

Award: Up to £10,000.
Deadline: 17 January 2024 (round 1) and 21 February 2024 (round 2)
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Leverhulme Medal and Prize

Summary: The award is made in partnership with The Leverhulme Trust. The first award was in 2002, to mark the Academy's centenary. In 2024 nominations are accepted for individuals who have made a significant contribution to the social sciences. Any individual can be nominated for the prize (they do not need to be a Fellow of the British Academy). Nominations can be made by any individual (they do not need to be a Fellow of the British Academy).

How to nominate
Nominations for this award are open from 1 December 2023 to 31 January 2024. Entries should be submitted electronically to prizes@thebritishacademy.ac.uk.

In the body of the email, clearly state:

  • Name of the prize or medal
  • Name of nominee
  • Nominee’s position/institution and email address
  • Nominee’s principal area of academic distinction
  • Supporting statement (250 words)
  • Nominator’s name and your British Academy section (if applicable)
  • Declaration of any institutional or personal interest

The deadline for submissions is 31 January each year. Nominations will be reviewed, and the winner selected, by the relevant panel.

If you have any queries submitting a nomination, please email prizes@thebritishacademy.ac.uk.

Award: £5,000
Deadline: 31 January 2024
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: £400,000
Deadline: 15 February 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme (Policy led): Route B - Local Policy and Innovation Partnership

Summary: Route B: Policy-led Innovation Fellows will work with policy partners specified by the British Academy, which in this case is the LPIP Strategic Coordination Hub based at the City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI) at the University of Birmingham.

Through the Innovation Fellowships scheme, you will have the opportunity to work in a deeply embedded way with policy and analytical teams at local, regional and national levels, across the breadth of the LPIPs, which will enable you to develop outcomes that enhance our understanding of, and response to, societal challenges, and offer solutions to shape policy and practice. You will be able to draw on the expertise and insights of policymakers, researchers across disciplines and practitioners across sectors, and benefit from their continued engagement in the project. This is an opportunity for all participants to form new collaborations and draw on the insights these bring to inform and influence future policy and research.
Award: A maximum award value of £120,000 on an 80% fEC basis. The Applicant must commit between 0.6 and 0.8 FTE time to the Fellowship.
Deadline: 28 February 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Nuffield Foundation Research, Development and Analysis Fund

Summary: Our main focus is on Education, Welfare and Justice but many of our projects cut across and go beyond these broad domains. In particular, we are interested in funding research that takes account of the trends that are shaping today’s increasingly complex society, such as those set out in our 2017-2022 strategy:

  • How do digital technologies and digital communications alleviate, exacerbate and shift vulnerability, and affect concepts of trust, evidence and authority?
  • In what ways do factors such as socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, community and geography affect the vulnerability of people to different types of risk, and how can this be mitigated?
  • What interventions might promote opportunity and reduce adversity through different life stages, and promote social inclusion between and across generations?
  • What are the social and economic implications of physical and mental disability and chronic illness? 
  • How can social policy institutions make better use of research, evidence and data in order to understand better the needs of those they serve, and improve services and outcomes?
  • How might the data infrastructure be used or improved to better understand and explain outcomes for individuals and society?

Examples of specific topics that interest us at present include:

  • Early childhood
  • Skills and employment
  • The cost of living
  • Geographical inequalities
  • Quality of life in later life
  • The quality of and access to public services
  • The long-term implications of COVID-19

Award: Up to £750,000. Please note, the majority of grants the Foundation awards are less than £300,000.
Deadline: 11 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards

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.
Deadline: 11 April 2024
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 16 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme 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.
Deadline: 02 May 2024
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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.

 

All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

 

AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme

Summary: The AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme promotes strategic partnerships with non-HEI organisations across the arts and humanities at the University of Cambridge. The fund supports partnership building with specific organisations such as (but not limited to) museums, theatres, social enterprises, NGOs, and government departments. Funds are available for a range of activities including teaching replacement costs, costs for incoming fellowships from the partner organisation, postdoctoral or administrative support, travel and subsistence expenses, and workshops. The scheme aims to allow researchers to create new partnerships with external entities more generally, collaboratively shape research agendas, contribute to future research funding applications (including match-funding for studentships in the DTPs), and further facilitate impact generating activities.

Award: Up to £20,000 cover 100% of directly incurred costs.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

 

MathWorks-CUED Small Grant Programme

Summary: Cambridge University Engineering Department (CUED) seeks proposals for short-term projects for developing innovative education curricula and/or research programme. The selected projects will be funded based on the donation from The MathWorks Ltd., and a total of £50k is available for this funding round to fund up to five projects. This call seeks small proposals for projects starting any time after February 1st, 2022, and ending before January 31, 2023. The MathWorks-CUED Small Grant Programme plans to install three similar calls in the next few years.

Award: Maximum £15,000.
Deadline: 14 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Fumiya Iida

 

Cambridge Humanities Research Grants

Summary: The Cambridge Humanities Research Grants scheme (CHRG) supports research in the arts, humanities and social sciences across the University. The scheme welcomes applications from any independent researcher holding a current contract of employment at the point of application.

The Scheme is designed to enable researchers to conduct small-scale research activities, of the highest quality, that will enable them to bid successfully for larger-scale funding from external sponsors, and/or to generate publications, and/or to contribute materially in other ways towards the research objectives of their home institution.

Applications may be made at any time in the year, for the next available gathered field, with outcomes known approximately six weeks later. 

Award: varies depending on scheme between £1,500 and £20,000
Deadline: 15 January 2024
Contact: AHSS Research Strategy at: AHSSresearchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

University Diversity Fund (UDF) 2023-2024

Summary: The latest round of the University Diversity Fund (UDF) is now open to applications from University staff and students. The UDF provides grants of up to £1,500 to projects across the University that meet at least one of the four objectives:  

  1. Raise awareness about issues related to equality and inclusion, and challenge inequalities such as racism, gender inequality, disablism or homophobia 
  2. Increase the representation of women, racially minoritised staff and students and other underrepresented groups 
  3. Address barriers faced by particular groups 
  4. Facilitate the implementation of good practice in equality and inclusion. 

Additionally, there will be funding (£1,500 each) for three projects focusing specifically on anti-racism. 
  
The closing date for applications is Monday 22 January 2024 at 5pm. Full details can be found on the Race Equality website, which includes examples of previous projects that have been supported by the fund.  

Award: £1,500
Deadline: 22 January 2024
Contact: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Section

 

Social Venture Support

Summary: Cambridge Enterprise is looking to invest £20k into two innovative social ventures and would like to hear from any self-identifying social ventures so that they can understand your challenges and co-create the support offering.
 
Cambridge Enterprise is looking to:

  • Invest £20k in two amazing social ventures
  • Hear from as many social ventures in the ecosystem so we can co-create how we approach social venture support

Register your interest if your company has (1) a social or environmental mission at its core, (2) has a legal structure limited by shares, and (3) has a strong connection to UCam

Register your interest here! Please register by January 31st to be considered.

Award: varies depending on project
Deadline: 31 January 2024
Contact: Emily Arnold

 

West Hub Researchers Fund

Summary: For Postdocs and Researchers who want to foster collaboration and socialisation through relaxed events with guest speakers, discussions and casual socials. Funding covers speaker fees, travel costs and catering.
Award: Up to £2,000
Deadline: 15 February 2024
Contact: grants@westcamhub.co.uk

 

West Hub Community Fund

Summary: Funding open to ALL University of Cambridge community members who want to organise engaging and inclusive events for the local community, such as exhibitions, concerts, sports activities, wellbeing seminars, arts and craft classes for children's events.
Award: Up to £1,000
Deadline: 15 February 2024
Contact: grants@westcamhub.co.uk

 

 

CRoSS Programme: Ideas Incubator

12 January 2024, deadline for Expressions of Interest
29 January 2024 to 08 March 2024

 

Do you have an idea for a social innovation with its roots in your research? You might be developing new methods or interventions, partnerships or networks, tools, platforms or services which could create real-world impact whether on a local or global scale. 

Want to learn more about how to make your idea a reality? Interested in meeting like-minded researchers and getting some tailored and practical support to propel your project beyond the research phase? 

We invite Expressions of Interest in the CRoSS Ideas Incubator programme, a support programme for researchers and their collaborators who are committed to creating social impact and are interested in exploring socially responsible innovation models and/or social entrepreneurship.  

This incubator is focussed on establishing new products and services which can deliver measurable and scalable social or environmental impact, whether enabled by research evidence, practice, lived experience, technologies, or expertise.  

All disciplines are welcome: we will prioritise applications with a strong emphasis on understanding and tackling societal and environmental challenges. 

We especially welcome applications from researchers in arts, humanities and social sciences and from inter/multi-disciplinary projects; and from researchers who have previously been involved in public engagement or policy engagement and are curious about entrepreneurial and innovation pathways.

Contactenquiries@enterprise.cam.ac.uk

 

Engaged Researcher - Introduction to Policy Engagement

15 January 2024, 10:00 to 12:00. West Hub, West Room 1

In this session Dr Holmes-Henderson (Durham University) and Owen Garling (Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge) will explain routes into policy engagement for researchers in Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines. They will explain the benefits for academics and their institutions of sharing academic research with policymakers in government, parliament and the devolved nations. This will be a practical and interactive session, with the opportunity to ask questions and design a strategy for getting started.

 

Engaged Researcher Online - Working with Schools

16 January 2024, 10:00 to 11:30. Online

Engaging young people with your research can be very worthwhile and rewarding. This training session will support you with your public engagement work with schools by introducing you to the UK school system and discussing how public engagement work can fit with existing school priorities. We will consider ways in which your work can make an impact and briefly consider how public engagement can work with underrepresented groups and contribute to diversity and inclusion initiatives. You’ll be introduced to ways in which the University already works with schools to provide you with ideas for collaboration. Lastly, we’ll begin to think about how to plan and design activities suitable for school audiences.

 

Engaged Researcher Online - Introduction to Public Engagement

16 January 2024, 11:00 to 12:00. Online

We’ll be looking at the what, why and how of public engagement and introducing you to ways to plan an effective public engagement project. Topics:

  • The what: definitions of public engagement, who are the public, what activities count as engagement, what are the goals?
  • The why: University commitment to PE, REF, Funders
  • The how: the Logic Model approach to planning PE, practical considerations, moving engagement online and opportunities at the University.

 

Engaged Researcher Online - Evaluation of Public Engagement

17 January 2024, 10:00 to 12:00. Online

Successful public engagement can benefit research, researchers and the public – but how do you go about demonstrating this change? This workshop will guide you through the best evaluation processes showing you when, why and crucially how, to use evaluation to give you reliable and clear data. Demonstrate success to funders; record Impact for REF; learn how to improve your processes and have a better understanding of the people you are connecting with.

 

 

Engaged Researcher Online - Video training: Shooting and Editing

19 January 2024. Online
26 January 2024. Online
2 February 2024. Online

Why is YouTube popular? Because people love watching videos. A research video can be a great way to get your message across to your collaborators, your friends, and the wider world as well as being a condition of some funding bodies.

But it isn't easy to do well - and this is where this course will make a difference. Come along and learn the skills needed to plan, shoot & edit high quality footage for research videos so that your video can stand out from the crowd. You just need yourself, a camera phone and your enthusiasm!

 

Engaged Researcher - The Conversation media training

24 January 2024, 14:00 to 16:00. Online

Are you an academic, researcher or PhD candidate who would like to build a media profile and take your research to a global public audience by writing for The Conversation?

The Conversation is a news analysis and opinion website with content written by academics working with professional journalists. It is an open access, independent media charity funded by more than 80 UK and European universities.
In this interactive session we'll take you through what The Conversation is - our origins and aims; what we do and why.

We’ll look at why you should communicate your research to the public and take you through The Conversation’s unique, collaborative editorial process. We’ll give you tips on style, tone and structure (with examples), look at how to pitch (with examples) and look at different approaches and article types.

 

Engaged Researcher - Working with Museums

26 January 2-24, 10:00 to 11:15. Babington Room, MAA

The eight University of Cambridge Museums (UCM) and Botanic Garden represent the UK’s highest concentration of internationally important collections outside London. With more than five million works of art, artefacts, and specimens, the collections have supported nearly 300 years of investigation into the world around us. Today, we work to deepen understanding of our world, inspire new thinking, and address local and global challenges.

How can researchers get involved with the work of the museums? Or make links to the varied collections? This training session will introduce participants to museums in general as well as work and collections of the UCM.

AHSS Bulletin December 2023

AHSS Bulletin: December 2023

 UK Research Council Funding 

•    ESRC responsive mode: research grants round two (Open Call) ESRC
•    ESRC responsive mode: working with Luxembourg researchers round two (Open Call) ESRC
•    ESRC responsive mode: secondary data analysis round two (Open Call) ESRC
•    ESRC responsive mode: UKRI-SBE lead agency opportunity round two (Open Call) ESRC
•    National Crime and Justice Laboratory Academic Lead (11 January 2024) ESRC and Home Office
•    Apply to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research (16 January 2024) AHRC
•    AHRC responsive mode: Catalyst Award: round two (30 January 2024) AHRC
•    AHRC responsive mode: Curiosity Award: round two (30 January 2024) AHRC
•    AHRC: DFG research grants round six (2023 to 2024) (20 February 2024) AHRC
•    International Fellowships for Doctoral and Early Career Researchers 2024 (12 March 2024) AHRC
•    AHRC Responsive Mode: Standard Research Grant - Round Three (26 March 2024) AHRC
•    ACCESS Flexible Fund Round 2 (26 April 2024) ESRC
•    AHRC Innovation Scholars secondments in design: second round (30 April 2024) AHRC
•    Doctoral focal awards in the arts and humanities (2 July 2024) AHRC

 

    EU/International Funding 

•    Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update
•    Horizon Europe Main Work Programme (various dates)
•    Proof of Concept Grant (expected deadlines: 14 March 2024 and 17 September 2024)
•    ERC Advanced Grant (expected deadline: 20 August 2024)

    

Charity Funding 

•    Leverhulme Study Abroad Studentships (09 January 2024)
•    The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and The British Academy Knowledge Frontiers Symposium (24 January 2024)
•    British Academy Conferences (24 January 2024)
•    Leverhulme Medal and Prize (31 January 2024)
•    Wellcome Trust Early-Career Award (15 February 2024)
•    Wellcome Trust Career Development Award (11 April 2024)
•    Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards (16 April 2024)
•    Leverhulme Visiting Professorship (2 May 2024)

  

 Internal Funding 

•    Large Grant Contribution Fund (rolling deadline; minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline)
•    REF Impact Fund (rolling deadline)
•    All-Council Rapid Impact Acceleration Account Call (rolling deadline)
•    AHRC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme (rolling deadline)
•    Social Science Impact Fund Collaborations Call 2023-2024 (20 December 2023)
•    MathWorks-CUED Small Grant Programme (14 January 2024)
•    Cambridge Humanities Research Grants (15 January 2024)
•    University Diversity Fund (UDF) 2023-2024 (22 January 2024)
•    Social Venture Support (31 January 2024)

 

    Training 

•    Horizon Europe Information Session (6 and 7 December 2023)
•    Engaged Researcher Online - Mastering TED style Research Talks (7 December 2023)
•    Engaged Researcher - Introduction to Policy Engagement (15 January 2024)
•    Engaged Researcher Online - Working with Schools (16 January 2024)
•    Engaged Researcher Online - Introduction to Public Engagement (16 January 2024)
•    Engaged Researcher Online - Evaluation of Public Engagement (17 January 2024)
•    Engaged Researcher Online - Video training: Shooting and Editing (19 and 26 January 2024 and 2 February 2024)
•    Engaged Researcher - The Conversation media training (24 January 2024)
•    Engaged Researcher - Working with Museums (26 January 2024)

ESRC responsive mode: research grants round two

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.
Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million fEC funded at 80% for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: Open Call
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC responsive mode: working with Luxembourg researchers round two

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.
Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million fEC funded at 80%. Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR) will pay all justified costs for Luxembourg submitted through their system.
Deadline: Open Call
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC responsive mode: secondary data analysis round two

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 the ESRC’s remit.

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.

Award: Up to £300,000 fEC funded at 80% for projects up to 24 months.
Deadline: Open Call
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC responsive mode: UKRI-SBE lead agency opportunity round two

Summary: You can submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the social sciences within the remits of ESRC and NSF-SBE. 
ESRC will fund basic, applied and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics within our 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.
Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million fEC funded at 80% for the UK part of the budget.
Deadline: Open Call
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

National Crime and Justice Laboratory Academic Lead

Summary:  Apply for a 12-month opportunity for a senior academic to provide leadership and strategic guidance to the National Crime and Justice Laboratory at the Home Office. You will advance efforts to derive new insights from Home Office data to guide criminal justice system policy and shape the direction of research, and explore how to make this data available to the academic community.
Award: Up to £120,000 fEC funded at 80%.
Deadline: 11 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Apply to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research

Summary:  AHRC is funding one research organisation to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research between 2024 and 2026. Through a framework of devolved funding, the hub will be expected to award, coordinate and support a cohort of four spoke projects across the UK that will engage new and diverse public audiences in participatory music research and engagement activities that are innovative, inspiring and impactful. 
The Hub will have oversight of all of the projects and will act in a coordinating capacity. The Hub is not permitted to award funding to spoke projects based at any of the organisations where members of the Hub Leadership Team are based.
Award: Up to £812,500 fEC funded at 80%.
Deadline: 16 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: Catalyst Award: round two

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 fEC funded at 80%.
Deadline: 30 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: Curiosity Award: round two

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 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
NB: this is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list.
Award: Up to £100,000 fEC funded at 80% for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: 30 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC: DFG research grants round six (2023 to 2024)

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
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 arts and humanities researchers in the UK, whose research falls within the remit of the AHRC, and humanities researchers in Germany.

Award: Up to £420,000 fEC funded at 80% for projects between 24 and 36 months in duration.
Deadline: 20 February 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

International Fellowships for Doctoral and Early Career Researchers 2024

Summary: The International Placement Scheme (IPS) provides early career researchers, and AHRC-funded and ESRC-funded doctoral students, with inclusive and dedicated access to the internationally renowned collections, programmes and expertise held at IPS host institutions. Fellowships are available at: 
 USA 
o    Harry Ransom Center
o    Huntington Library
o    Library of Congress
o    Smithsonian Institution
o    Yale Centre for British Art

Japan 
o    National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU)

China 
o    Shanghai Theatre Academy

You will receive £1,000 for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for travel to Japan and China) and £1,925 for each month of the fellowship. You can apply for two to six months of funding.
Award: Between £4,850 and £12,750.
Deadline: 12 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC Responsive Mode: Standard Research Grant - Round Three

Summary: We’re looking for individual researchers with proposals 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.
We expect the project lead and any project co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1,500,00 fEC funded at 80% for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: 26 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ACCESS Flexible Fund Round 2

Summary: We are looking to make three awards to projects that contribute to the ACCESS project's main goal to enhance the visibility, use and impact of climate and environmental social science. Projects will be expected to deliver at least TWO of the following outcomes: 
•    New ideas or frameworks
•    New methods of translating evidence or insights (e.g. communication tools)
•    New netowrks
•    Development of new skills of capacities
•    Increased use of social science amongst specific target groups, for example people in diverse sectors (business/industry, civil society, public sector, journalists and media actors) or non-social scientist disciplinary experts (e.g. natural scientists, engineering and physical scientists).
Applcations to Round 2 must have an early career researcher on the project team, either playing a Principal Investigator (Project Lead) or Co-Investigator role.
Award: Between £200,000 and £240,000 funded at 100% fEC for projects up to 2 years in duration.
Deadline: 26 March 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC Innovation Scholars secondments in design: second round

Summary: Apply for funding to develop your skills and exchange knowledge through the UKRI Innovation Scholars programme. This secondment opportunity is focused on design. For this AHRC opportunity, the aim is to enhance the skills and careers of individuals in design research and innovation. This will be achieved through funding individual secondments focused on research and innovation, with networking events for the secondees. 
You must have a desire to proactively engage with design and the motivation to work within it. Interdisciplinary secondment proposals as well as practice-based ones will be welcomed.
Your secondment is expected to:
•    boost your skills, knowledge, networking opportunities and therefore career development
•    intensify knowledge exchange and create porosity between different sectors, resulting in innovative outputs
•    bring benefits to your host organisation
•    add value to the design sector and the UK economy
Projects can last between six months and 36 months and can be full or part-time, or hybrid (a combination of part-time and full-time).
Award: Up to £200,000 funded at 100% for eligible salary, travel and subsistence costs.
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Doctoral focal awards in the arts and humanities

Summary: Formerly pre-announced as focused Centres for Doctoral Training, this is the same funding opportunity but under a new name to align it with other upcoming UKRI doctoral funding opportunities. 
To be the lead applicant, you must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding with capacity in the arts and humanities for creative economy or for a healthy planet, people, and place.
Each proposal must include:
•    doctoral training and professional development
•    mechanisms for increasing representation of students from underrepresented groups

Webinars for potential applicants 
AHRC will hold two information webinars for potential applicants and partners, and two online surgery events for applicants who are in the process of preparing their proposals. This will provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions. 

These online events will last 60 minutes each and take place on the following dates:
•    Tuesday 5 December 2023 11:00am UK time, webinar for all interested parties
•    Wednesday 28 February 2024 2:00pm UK time, webinar for small specialist institutions
•    Wednesday 20 March 2024 2:00pm UK time, online surgery for all applicants
•    Thursday 20 June 2024 10:00am UK time, online surgery for all applicants
Deadline: 2 July 2024
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.

Horizon Europe Main Work Programme

This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
  
Highlighted notices:
Arts and cultural awareness and expression in education and training
HORIZON-CL2-2024-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-08 

Deadline: 07 February 2024

Cultural and creative industries for a sustainable climate transition
HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-01-02 

Deadline: 07 February 2024

Combating hate speech online and offline
HORIZON-CL3-2024-FCT-01-05

Deadline: 20 November 2024

Digital solutions to foster participative design, planning and management of buildings, neighbourhoods and urban districts (Built4People Partnership)
HORIZON-CL5-2024-D4-02-05

Deadline: 21 January 2025 

Proof of Concept Grant

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research, 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. Proof of Concept Grants are therefore on offer only to Principal Investigators whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.
Award: up to € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.
Deadline: 14 March 2024 and 17 September 2024 (tentative deadlines)
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.
Deadline: 29 August 2024, tentative deadline
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Leverhulme Study Abroad Studentships

Summary: For students to study or undertake research at a centre of learning in any country except the UK or USA. Studentships are tenable for between 12 and 24 months. The Trust offers approximately 25 Study Abroad Studentships each year.
Award: Students receive a basic annual maintenance allowance of £23,040.
Deadline: 09 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and The British Academy Knowledge Frontiers Symposium

Summary: The symposium will bring together around fifteen early career researchers from the UK and fifteen from Germany (understood as up to ten years after obtaining a PhD) from across the humanities and social sciences to discuss key questions around the theme of ‘Natures, Cultures and Communities’. The symposium is designed specifically to encourage collaboration and networking.

In order to incentivise long-term collaboration and networking, seed funding will be made available for which participants can apply. These collaborations must be international in their makeup, and can be either partnerships or groups. This funding is designed to facilitate collaborations that are formed directly from the symposium.

Award: The symposium will take place in Berlin, Germany, from the 5-8 June 2024. The costs of travel, visas and accommodation for participants will be covered. Participants should attend the entire symposium programme and be available to travel on transport options chosen by the British Academy.

Deadline: 24 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

British Academy Conference

Summary: The Academy expects to fund up to 18 conferences each year. The Academy will host a maximum of three conferences at its own premises in London, alongside offering awards for conferences to be held at other UK venues or online. In some instances where the proposer has indicated that the British Academy would be their preferred venue, the Academy may instead offer funds to enable a conference to be held elsewhere.

For conferences that are hosted by the Academy, the Academy will: handle the administration and delivery of the event (including venue hire, catering, ticketing and registration), technical facilitation (including set-up and delivery), financial transactions (including speaker travel and accommodation).

Award: Up to £20,000. Many awards will be made at a lower level, such the sums in the region of £8,000-£15,000 likely.
Deadline: 24 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Medal and Prize

Summary: The award is made in partnership with The Leverhulme Trust. The first award was in 2002, to mark the Academy's centenary. In 2024 nominations are accepted for individuals who have made a significant contribution to the social sciences. Any individual can be nominated for the prize (they do not need to be a Fellow of the British Academy). Nominations can be made by any individual (they do not need to be a Fellow of the British Academy).

How to nominate
Nominations for this award are open from 1 December 2023 to 31 January 2024. Entries should be submitted electronically to prizes@thebritishacademy.ac.uk.

In the body of the email, clearly state: 
•    Name of the prize or medal
•    Name of nominee
•    Nominee’s position/institution and email address
•    Nominee’s principal area of academic distinction
•    Supporting statement (250 words)
•    Nominator’s name and your British Academy section (if applicable)
•    Declaration of any institutional or personal interest
The deadline for submissions is 31 January each year. Nominations will be reviewed, and the winner selected, by the relevant panel.

If you have any queries submitting a nomination, please email prizes@thebritishacademy.ac.uk.

Award: £5,000
Deadline: 31 January 2024
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: £400,000
Deadline: 15 February 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards

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.
Deadline: 11 April 2024
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 16 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme 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.
Deadline: 02 May 2024
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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.

All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme

Summary: The AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme promotes strategic partnerships with non-HEI organisations across the arts and humanities at the University of Cambridge. The fund supports partnership building with specific organisations such as (but not limited to) museums, theatres, social enterprises, NGOs, and government departments. Funds are available for a range of activities including teaching replacement costs, costs for incoming fellowships from the partner organisation, postdoctoral or administrative support, travel and subsistence expenses, and workshops. The scheme aims to allow researchers to create new partnerships with external entities more generally, collaboratively shape research agendas, contribute to future research funding applications (including match-funding for studentships in the DTPs), and further facilitate impact generating activities.

Award: Up to £20,000 cover 100% of directly incurred costs.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Social Science Impact Fund Collaborations Call 2023-2024

Summary: The Social Science Impact Fund aims to support the transfer of social science research and expertise to non-academic partners and collaborators. Social Science research areas can be found here. This funding is specifically aimed at undertaking knowledge exchange opportunities and activities in collaboration with an external partner. 

What activities can be funded? 
Applicants should focus on formulating a robust proposal that supports collaborative efforts with external research users. This can include business, public and third sector organisations, community bodies and the wider public. Proposals should detail activities designed to exchange research, knowledge, and expertise.  
This can include:  
•    Travel and subsistence to meet potential stakeholders outside of Cambridge; 
•    Attendance at conferences or events at which the applicant aims to connect with potential research users and collaborators; 
•    Seed funding for building new partnerships and projects that may lead to larger research funding opportunities; 
•    Or funding for the co-design and co-production of outputs or materials for knowledge exchange and impact.
Earliest start date is 1 February 2024 and projects must end by 31 July 2024 at the latest.

Award: Up to £10,000 cover 100% of directly incurred costs for projects up to 6 months in duration.
Deadline: 20 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Tina Basi

MathWorks-CUED Small Grant Programme

Summary: Cambridge University Engineering Department (CUED) seeks proposals for short-term projects for developing innovative education curricula and/or research programme. The selected projects will be funded based on the donation from The MathWorks Ltd., and a total of £50k is available for this funding round to fund up to five projects. This call seeks small proposals for projects starting any time after February 1st, 2022, and ending before January 31, 2023. The MathWorks-CUED Small Grant Programme plans to install three similar calls in the next few years.

Award: Maximum £15,000.
Deadline: 14 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Fumiya Iida

Cambridge Humanities Research Grants

Summary: The Cambridge Humanities Research Grants scheme (CHRG) supports research in the arts, humanities and social sciences across the University. The scheme welcomes applications from any independent researcher holding a current contract of employment at the point of application.
The Scheme is designed to enable researchers to conduct small-scale research activities, of the highest quality, that will enable them to bid successfully for larger-scale funding from external sponsors, and/or to generate publications, and/or to contribute materially in other ways towards the research objectives of their home institution.
Applications may be made at any time in the year, for the next available gathered field, with outcomes known approximately six weeks later. 
Award: varies depending on scheme between £1,500 and £20,000
Deadline: 15 January 2024
Contact: AHSS Research Strategy at: AHSSresearchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk

University Diversity Fund (UDF) 2023-2024

Summary: The latest round of the University Diversity Fund (UDF) is now open to applications from University staff and students. The UDF provides grants of up to £1,500 to projects across the University that meet at least one of the four objectives:  
1.    Raise awareness about issues related to equality and inclusion, and challenge inequalities such as racism, gender inequality, disablism or homophobia 
2.    Increase the representation of women, racially minoritised staff and students and other underrepresented groups 
3.    Address barriers faced by particular groups 
4.    Facilitate the implementation of good practice in equality and inclusion. 
Additionally, there will be funding (£1,500 each) for three projects focusing specifically on anti-racism. 
  
The closing date for applications is Monday 22 January 2024 at 5pm. Full details can be found on the Race Equality website, which includes examples of previous projects that have been supported by the fund.  
Award: £1,500
Deadline: 22 January 2024
Contact: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Section

Social Venture Support

Summary: Cambridge Enterprise is looking to invest £20k into two innovative social ventures and would like to hear from any self-identifying social ventures so that they can understand your challenges and co-create the support offering.
 
Cambridge Enterprise is looking to:
•    Invest £20k in two amazing social ventures
•    Hear from as many social ventures in the ecosystem so we can co-create how we approach social venture support
Register your interest if your company has (1) a social or environmental mission at its core, (2) has a legal structure limited by shares, and (3) has a strong connection to UCam

Register your interest here! Please register by January 31st to be considered.

Award: varies depending on project
Deadline: 31 January 2024
Contact: Emily Arnold

Horizon Europe Information Session

6 and 7 December 2023

Following the long-awaited UK association to Horizon Europe, the Research Office invites academic and professional services staff across the University on 6 and 7 December 2023 to information sessions led by representatives of the UK Research Office Brussels (UKRO). 
 
Cambridge researchers' participation in Horizon Europe calls has continued throughout the uncertainties after Brexit. The overall success rates of the University have remained high throughout Horizon 2020 and even improved for Horizon Europe to date. University’s average success rate across H2020 and Horizon Europe is between 1:4 and 1:5. On 7 September 2023, the UK Government and the EU announced the UK’s association to the Horizon Europe and Copernicus Programmes, to enter into force on 1 January 2024. Cambridge’s increased success rate indicates great potential for researchers following the UK’s full association to Horizon Europe.
 
The in-person and online information sessions address important legal and financial changes under Horizon Europe, upcoming funding opportunities, advice on consortia building, proposal development and assessment criteria as well as available support. They will cover the European Research Council (ERC) as well as collaborative, interdisciplinary funding calls under the seven thematic clusters (1) health, (2) culture, creativity, inclusive society, (3) civil security for society, (4) digital, industry and space, (6) climate, energy and mobility and (7) food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment. 

The dedicated European Advisor for the University of Cambridge and the UK Marie Sklodowska Curie National Contact Point (UKRO) will present latest updates. The events will be held at the WestHub as well as online. In-person participation is encouraged where possible.
  
1.    Horizon Europe Funding Opportunities for Researchers – Thursday 7 December 2023, WestHub, East Room 2,- for academic and professional services staff. Visit the event page for more information on the agenda and how to book your place.  
2.    Horizon Europe Programme, Legal and Financial Matters (including Horizon 2020) - Wednesday 6 December 2023, WestHub, West 1 Meeting Room, – for professional services staff. Visit the event page for more information on the agenda and how to book your place
Contact: Selda Ulutas Aydogan

Engaged Researcher Online - Mastering TED style Research Talks

7 December 2023, 10:00 to 13:00. Online 
Unlock the power of captivating research presentations with our exclusive online course: Mastering TED-Style Research Talks. In just 3 hours, gain essential skills to engage, inspire, and leave a lasting impact on any audience.

Discover the art of attention-grabbing hooks that make your research impossible to ignore. Learn captivating storytelling techniques to create a narrative arc that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats. Unleash the heroes within your research, emotionally connecting your audience to your work.

Our expert instructor will guide you through delivering complex research to a lay audience with clarity and depth. Master the use of simple visuals to make your data come alive and leave a lasting impression.
Delve into the personal side of research, revealing why audiences want to see a glimpse of the person, not just the research findings. Forge an authentic connection that elevates your talk from informative to unforgettable.
Receive personalised guidance on your talk, honing your content, delivery, structure, and engagement skills.

Enroll in Mastering TED-Style Research Talks today and revolutionise how you share your transformative discoveries with the world. Join now and give your science communication skills a boost!
 

Engaged Researcher - Introduction to Policy Engagement

15 January 2024, 10:00 to 12:00. West Hub, West Room 1 
In this session Dr Holmes-Henderson (Durham University) and Owen Garling (Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge) will explain routes into policy engagement for researchers in Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines. They will explain the benefits for academics and their institutions of sharing academic research with policymakers in government, parliament and the devolved nations. This will be a practical and interactive session, with the opportunity to ask questions and design a strategy for getting started.

Engaged Researcher Online - Working with Schools

16 January 2024, 10:00 to 11:30. Online 
Engaging young people with your research can be very worthwhile and rewarding. This training session will support you with your public engagement work with schools by introducing you to the UK school system and discussing how public engagement work can fit with existing school priorities. We will consider ways in which your work can make an impact and briefly consider how public engagement can work with underrepresented groups and contribute to diversity and inclusion initiatives. You’ll be introduced to ways in which the University already works with schools to provide you with ideas for collaboration. Lastly, we’ll begin to think about how to plan and design activities suitable for school audiences.

Engaged Researcher Online - Introduction to Public Engagement

16 January 2024, 11:00 to 12:00. Online 
We’ll be looking at the what, why and how of public engagement and introducing you to ways to plan an effective public engagement project. Topics:
•    The what: definitions of public engagement, who are the public, what activities count as engagement, what are the goals?
•    The why: University commitment to PE, REF, Funders
•    The how: the Logic Model approach to planning PE, practical considerations, moving engagement online and opportunities at the University.

Engaged Researcher Online - Evaluation of Public Engagement

17 January 2024, 10:00 to 12:00. Online 
Successful public engagement can benefit research, researchers and the public – but how do you go about demonstrating this change? This workshop will guide you through the best evaluation processes showing you when, why and crucially how, to use evaluation to give you reliable and clear data. Demonstrate success to funders; record Impact for REF; learn how to improve your processes and have a better understanding of the people you are connecting with.

Engaged Researcher Online - Video training: Shooting and Editing

19 January 2024. Online
26 January 2024. Online
2 February 2024. Online 

Why is YouTube popular? Because people love watching videos. A research video can be a great way to get your message across to your collaborators, your friends, and the wider world as well as being a condition of some funding bodies.

But it isn't easy to do well - and this is where this course will make a difference. Come along and learn the skills needed to plan, shoot & edit high quality footage for research videos so that your video can stand out from the crowd. You just need yourself, a camera phone and your enthusiasm!

Engaged Researcher - The Conversation media training

24 January 2024, 14:00 to 16:00. Online 
Are you an academic, researcher or PhD candidate who would like to build a media profile and take your research to a global public audience by writing for The Conversation?

The Conversation is a news analysis and opinion website with content written by academics working with professional journalists. It is an open access, independent media charity funded by more than 80 UK and European universities.
In this interactive session we'll take you through what The Conversation is - our origins and aims; what we do and why.

We’ll look at why you should communicate your research to the public and take you through The Conversation’s unique, collaborative editorial process. We’ll give you tips on style, tone and structure (with examples), look at how to pitch (with examples) and look at different approaches and article types.

Engaged Researcher - Working with Museums

26 January 2-24, 10:00 to 11:15. Babington Room, MAA 
The eight University of Cambridge Museums (UCM) and Botanic Garden represent the UK’s highest concentration of internationally important collections outside London. With more than five million works of art, artefacts, and specimens, the collections have supported nearly 300 years of investigation into the world around us. Today, we work to deepen understanding of our world, inspire new thinking, and address local and global challenges.

How can researchers get involved with the work of the museums? Or make links to the varied collections? This training session will introduce participants to museums in general as well as work and collections of the UCM.

 

AHSS Bulletin November 2023

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

November 2022

 

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 

•    Maximising UK adaption to climate change hub, Notification of Intent (21 November 2023) URKI
•    Levelling Up sandpit (27 November 2023) ESRC
•    Expression of Interest: Adolescent Health Study call for study sites (04 December 2023) MRC and ESRC
•    AHRC responsive mode: working with Brazilian Researchers: round one (07 December 2023) AHRC
•    AHRC responsive mode: follow-on funding for impact and engagement: round two (07 December 2023) AHRC
•    AHRC responsive mode: standard research grant - round two (07 December 2023) AHRC
•    AHRC responsive mode: collaborate with researchers in Luxembourg - round one (07 December 2023) AHRC
•    AHRC responsive mode: UKRI NSF-SBE lead agency - round one (07 December 2023) AHRC
•    Synthesising research on evolving narratives of histories and cultures (15 December 2023) AHRC
•    Apply to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research (16 January 2024) AHRC
•    ESRC responsive mode: research grants round two (25 January 2024) ESRC
•    ESRC responsive mode: working with Luxembourg researchers round two (25 January 2024) ESRC
•    ESRC responsive mode: secondary data analysis round two (25 January 2024) ESRC
•    ESRC responsive mode: UKRI-SBE lead agency opportunity round two (25 January 2024) ESRC
•    AHRC responsive mode: Catalyst Award: round two (30 January 2024) AHRC
•    AHRC responsive mode: Curiosity Award: round two (30 January 2024) AHRC
•    AHRC: DFG research grants round six (2023 to 2024) (20 February 2024) AHRC
•    AHRC Innovation Scholars secondments in design: second round (30 April 2024) AHRC

    

EU/International Funding 

•    Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update
•    Horizon Europe Main Work Programme (various dates)
•    ERC Consolidator Grant (12 December 2023)

    

Charity Funding 

•    British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme 2023-24 – Route B: Policy-led (Central Government) (22 November 2023)
•    ISRF Flexible Grants for Small Groups (30 November 2023)
•    BA International Writing Workshop (06 December 2023)
•    British Academy JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Overseas Researchers 2024 (13 December 2023)
•    Leverhulme Study Abroad Studentships (09 January 2024)
•    Wellcome Trust Early-Career Award (15 February 2024)
•    Wellcome Trust Career Development Award (11 April 2024)
•    Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards (16 April 2024)

  

 Internal Funding 

•    Large Grant Contribution Fund (rolling deadline; minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline)
•    REF Impact Fund (rolling deadline)
•    All-Council Rapid Impact Acceleration Account Call (rolling deadline)
•    AHRC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme (rolling deadline)
•    Cambridge Humanities Research Grants (15 January 2024)

    

Training 

•    Social Science Impact: Cutting-Edge Methods for Knowledge Exchange and Frontiers of Societal Readiness - day workshop and training (8 November)
•    Early Career Researcher Assembly (Deadline to apply as School Representative: 10 November 2023)

Maximising UK adaption to climate change hub

Summary:  This funding opportunity will fund the creation of a climate change adaptation hub to provide evidence around how to increase the resilience of people, ecosystems and infrastructure in the UK to cascading climate impacts. 
The hub will coalesce the skills and expertise needed from across relevant sectors, to aid the development and where possible, implementation, of a national climate change adaptation plan. Working closely with policy stakeholders the hub will synthesise relevant research, evidence and impact relating to climate change risk and vulnerability and translate this into information on what works in terms of climate adaptation at the local and national scale.

Award: Up to £4.5 million fEC funded at 80%.
Deadline: 21 November 2023 (Mandatory notification of intent); 1 February 2024 (Full application deadline)
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Levelling Up sandpit

Summary: Apply to attend a four-day interactive sandpit to develop novel projects that can address multifaceted questions related to levelling up and inform policymaking. 
You will be asked to complete an expression of interest form to apply for the sandpit.
The sandpit will take place over four days. The first day will be in-person while the rest of the sandpit will be held remotely via Zoom. Attendance for the full four days will be mandatory for selected participants.

The overall aim of this sandpit is to commission novel, interdisciplinary, challenge-led research projects that can address multifaceted questions related to levelling up. The research commissioned will be used by members of the Levelling Up Advisory Council (LUAC) to inform expert advice to ministers.
More widely, the sandpit will also act as thought leadership, stimulating debate and driving greater understanding of levelling up policy amongst the public, local authorities, think tanks and the private sector. We need to build new evidence, and draw together existing evidence from other disciplines, to guide this policy agenda.

Award: ESRC expect to fund up to £1.4 million at 80% FEC for all research projects arising from the sandpit.
Deadline: 27 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Tina Basi

ISRF Flexible Grants for Small Groups

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. Such work would be unlikely to be funded by existing funding bodies. 
The ISRF 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: Maximum of 8,100 Euros or up to £7,000 
Deadline: 30 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Expression of interest: Adolescent Health Study call for study sites

Summary:  The MRC and ESRC are inviting expressions of interest from eligible UK institutions to lead an AHS study site. 
AHS will be a new longitudinal population study, with associated data platform, focusing on studying the critical biological, interpersonal and environmental factors influencing adolescent development. AHS aims to recruit 100,000 young people aged 8 to 18 at enrolment, primarily through schools, and will follow their health and wellbeing for a period of 12 years (two year pilot plus 10 year main phase). The study will use an accelerated longitudinal design, where all age groups are recruited simultaneously, to allow the different transitions occurring during adolescence to be studied in a rapid timeframe.

Award: Between £4.2 and £7.5 million fEC, funded at 80% for projects 12 years in duration.
Deadline: 04 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: working with Brazilian researchers: round one

Summary:  Apply for funding to work with overseas researchers in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). 
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 and methods
•    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 £1,500,000 fEC, funded at 80% by AHRC. FAPESP will accept proposals of up to £1.5 million from Brazilian Researchers. The maximum duration of this award is five years.
Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

AHRC responsive mode: follow-on Funding for impact and engagement: round two

Summary:  Follow-on funding supports unforeseen knowledge exchange, public engagement, active dissemination and commercialisation activities that arise during the lifespan of, or following, an AHRC-funded project. 
Award: Up to £100,000 fEC and smaller grants of up to £30,000 for shorter or higher-risk activities. Project duration up to one year.
Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: standard research grant - round two

Summary:  We’re looking for individual researchers with proposals 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.
We expect the project lead and any project co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.
Award: Between £300,000 to £1,500,000 fEC for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: collaborate with researchers in Luxembourg - round one

Summary:  You can submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the arts and humanities within the remit of AHRC 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 project lead contributing with a slightly higher research effort.
We’re looking for researchers with proposals 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 and methods
•    researchers working in other sectors
•    researchers based abroad

The proposed collaboration should be appropriate for the specific needs of the research project.
We expect the project leads and any co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.
Award: For the UK part, between £300,000 to £1,500,000 fEC (funded at 80%) for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: UKRI NSF-SBE lead agency - round one

Summary:  You can submit a collaborative research proposal within the remit of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and US National Science Foundation, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Directorate (NSF-SBE). 
We’re looking for researchers with proposals 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 and methods
•    researchers working in other sectors
•    researchers based abroad

The proposed collaboration should be appropriate for the specific needs of the research project.
We expect the project leads and any co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.
Award: For the UK part, between £300,000 to £1,500,000 fEC (funded at 80%) for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Synthesising research on evolving narratives of histories and cultures

Summary:  SSHRC, Canadian Heritage, Genome Canada and AHRC have partnered on this funding opportunity to support research that will foster a deeper understanding of the state of knowledge about the global challenge of evolving narratives of cultures and histories. This opportunity contains two streams. UK applicants are eligible for Stream Two only: 
Stream two

Stream two is reserved for applications jointly submitted by two applicants or project directors, one based in Canada and the other in the UK, who are affiliated with eligible institutions in their respective countries.
Up to 20 projects will be jointly funded by SSHRC and AHRC.

The resulting knowledge syntheses will:
•    identify roles that the academic, public, private and not-for-profit sectors can play in promoting more inclusive and equitable societies
•    inform the development of effective tools and technologies, robust policies, and sustainable practices required to support the path toward a diverse and inclusive future for all
Award: Funding is available for one-year projects. The UK-Canada teams can apply for up to C$ 30,000 from SSHRC and AHRC. Budgets cannot exceed a maximum 60%/40% split across the two agencies (for example, C$ 18,000/£7,000 or £10,000/C$ 12,000). AHRC will fund 80% of the UK budget’s full economic cost.
Deadline: 15 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Apply to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research

Summary:  AHRC is funding one research organisation to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research between 2024 and 2026. Through a framework of devolved funding, the hub will be expected to award, coordinate and support a cohort of four spoke projects across the UK that will engage new and diverse public audiences in participatory music research and engagement activities that are innovative, inspiring and impactful. 
The Hub will have oversight of all of the projects and will act in a coordinating capacity. The Hub is not permitted to award funding to spoke projects based at any of the organisations where members of the Hub Leadership Team are based.
Award: Up to £812,500 fEC funded at 80%.
Deadline: 16 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC responsive mode: research grants round two

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.
Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million fEC funded at 80% for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: 25 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC responsive mode: working with Luxembourg researchers round two

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.
Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million fEC funded at 80%. Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR) will pay all justified costs for Luxembourg submitted through their system.
Deadline: 25 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC responsive mode: secondary data analysis round two

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 the ESRC’s remit.

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.

Award: Up to £300,000 fEC funded at 80% for projects up to 24 months.
Deadline: 25 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ESRC responsive mode: UKRI-SBE lead agency opportunity round two

Summary: You can submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the social sciences within the remits of ESRC and NSF-SBE. 
ESRC will fund basic, applied and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics within our 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.
Award: Between £350,000 to £1 million fEC funded at 80% for the UK part of the budget.
Deadline: 25 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: Catalyst Award: round two

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 fEC funded at 80%.
Deadline: 30 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: Curiosity Award: round two

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 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
NB: this is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list.
Award: Up to £100,000 fEC funded at 80% for projects up to five years in duration.
Deadline: 30 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC: DFG research grants round six (2023 to 2024)

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
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 arts and humanities researchers in the UK, whose research falls within the remit of the AHRC, and humanities researchers in Germany.

Award: Up to £420,000 fEC funded at 80% for projects between 24 and 36 months in duration.
Deadline: 20 February 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC Innovation Scholars secondments in design: second round

Summary: Apply for funding to develop your skills and exchange knowledge through the UKRI Innovation Scholars programme. This secondment opportunity is focused on design. For this AHRC opportunity, the aim is to enhance the skills and careers of individuals in design research and innovation. This will be achieved through funding individual secondments focused on research and innovation, with networking events for the secondees. 
You must have a desire to proactively engage with design and the motivation to work within it. Interdisciplinary secondment proposals as well as practice-based ones will be welcomed.
Your secondment is expected to:
•    boost your skills, knowledge, networking opportunities and therefore career development
•    intensify knowledge exchange and create porosity between different sectors, resulting in innovative outputs
•    bring benefits to your host organisation
•    add value to the design sector and the UK economy
Projects can last between six months and 36 months and can be full or part-time, or hybrid (a combination of part-time and full-time).
Award: Up to £200,000 funded at 100% for eligible salary, travel and subsistence costs.
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update

UK Association
On Thursday 7th September 2023, it was announced that the UK Government and the European Commission have agreed in principle on the UK’s association to the Horizon Europe and Copernicus programmes under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA). What now remains is for the relevant protocols to be signed, which will allow the UK to formally associate to Horizon Europe from 1st January 2024.

UK organisations should continue applying to all open and upcoming 2023 and 2024 Horizon Europe calls as a Beneficiary (either as Co-ordinator or partner) even before association formally takes effect. However, the source of funding will differ depending on the Work Programme year of the call.

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.

Horizon Europe Main Work Programme

This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
  
Highlighted notices:
Protest politics and cultures of opposition in democracy 
HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-01

Deadline: 07 February 2024

Social dialogue in the new world of work 
HORIZON-CL2-2024-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-05

Deadline: 07 February 2024

Radicalisation and gender 
HORIZON-CL3-2024-FCT-01-04

Deadline: 20 November 2024 

ERC Consolidator Grants

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: 12 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme 2023–24 -- Route B: Policy-led (Central Government)

Summary: This scheme provides funding and support for established early-career and mid-career researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences (the SHAPE disciplines) to partner with organisations and businesses in the creative and cultural, public, private, commercial, or policy sectors that have a base in the UK, to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions that are relevant to the UK. Through the Innovation Fellowships, our researchers in the SHAPE community 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 partner with a range of central government departments for 12 months. Successful applicants will work within specific policy areas set out by the departments. These policy areas broadly correlate to the British Academy’s own policy programmes of work, which cover similar themes.

The Academy and the government departments invite applications for Fellowships in any of the following areas:
•    Evaluation of Local Growth Policies (Cabinet Office).
•    Evaluation of Net Zero Policies (Cabinet Office).
•    Business Investment in the UK (His Majesty’s Treasury/Department for Business and Trade).
•    Productivity in the UK (His Majesty’s Treasury/Department for Business and Trade).
•    The UK Operating in the New World Economic System (His Majesty’s Treasury/Department for Business and Trade).
•    Loneliness (Department for Culture, Media and Sport).
•    Assessing the quality and value of services provided by the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector (Department for Culture, Media and Sport).
Award: up to £120,000 fEC funded at 80%. The Lead Applicant must commit between 0.4 and 0.8 FTE time to the Fellowship.
Deadline: 22 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

BA International Writing Workshops

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: Maximum £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.
Deadline: 06 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

British Academy JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Overseas Researchers 2024

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.
Deadline: 13 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Leverhulme Study Abroad Studentships

Summary: For students to study or undertake research at a centre of learning in any country except the UK or USA. Studentships are tenable for between 12 and 24 months. The Trust offers approximately 25 Study Abroad Studentships each year.
Award: Students receive a basic annual maintenance allowance of £23,040.
Deadline: 09 January 2024
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: £400,000
Deadline: 15 February 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards

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.
Deadline: 11 April 2024
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 16 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £2 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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.

All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme

Summary: The AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme promotes strategic partnerships with non-HEI organisations across the arts and humanities at the University of Cambridge. The fund supports partnership building with specific organisations such as (but not limited to) museums, theatres, social enterprises, NGOs, and government departments. Funds are available for a range of activities including teaching replacement costs, costs for incoming fellowships from the partner organisation, postdoctoral or administrative support, travel and subsistence expenses, and workshops. The scheme aims to allow researchers to create new partnerships with external entities more generally, collaboratively shape research agendas, contribute to future research funding applications (including match-funding for studentships in the DTPs), and further facilitate impact generating activities.

Award: Up to £20,000 cover 100% of directly incurred costs.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Cambridge Humanities Research Grants

Summary: The Cambridge Humanities Research Grants scheme (CHRG) supports research in the arts, humanities and social sciences across the University. The scheme welcomes applications from any independent researcher holding a current contract of employment at the point of application.
The Scheme is designed to enable researchers to conduct small-scale research activities, of the highest quality, that will enable them to bid successfully for larger-scale funding from external sponsors, and/or to generate publications, and/or to contribute materially in other ways towards the research objectives of their home institution.
Applications may be made at any time in the year, for the next available gathered field, with outcomes known approximately six weeks later. 
Award: varies depending on scheme between £1,500 and £20,000
Deadline: 15 January 2024
Contact: AHSS Research Strategy at: AHSSresearchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk

Social Science Impact: Cutting-Edge Methods for Knowledge Exchange and Frontiers of Societal Readiness

You are warmly invited to Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge on 8th November 2023, 9:30-5:00 for an exciting morning of talks and afternoon of interactive training opportunities.

For further information, please contact: Dr Tina Basi

Early Career Researcher Assembly

All early career researchers at the University of Cambridge in subjects related to the arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS ECRs) are warmly invited to join the new Assembly and consider issues that could and should form the focus of the group's engagement. The Assembly aims to provide AHSS ECRs with more opportunities to form interdisciplinary communities and to develop advocacy for important issues, such as reward and career progression.
 
**Sign up to the ECR Assembly Teams Channel**
 
We are also looking for individuals willing to take on the role of School Representatives, attending meetings of School Council and advocating for issues that emerge from the Assembly as a whole. AHSS ECRs can apply to serve as a School Rep by filling out this **Expression of Interest form**. Deadline: Friday 10 November. 
 
In Lent Term 2024 we will host the inaugural meeting of the Assembly. Full details about the Assembly are available here.
 
The Assembly is supported by the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences & the School of Arts and Humanities, and involves collaboration with the University's Postdoc Academy. The Assembly will be hosted by the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH). We would be grateful for all recipients to share information about this initiative among their colleagues.

Contact: AHSS Research Strategy at: AHSSresearchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk
  

 

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.

AHSS Bulletin October 2023

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

October 2023

UK Research Council Funding

EU Funding

Charity Funding

Internal Funding

Training

 

 

Restricted call: AHRC Centre for Law and Social Justice

Summary

Full details for this round are not yet available as the call will open in September 2023. The purpose of this communication is to bring the scheme to your attention and to allow candidates sufficient time to prepare strong applications. The University’s internal selection process for this round will be confirmed once the call opens. This information is subject to change. 

AHRC has announced the Centre for Law and Social Justice call

AHRC will fund one Centre for Law and Social Justice and offer £5M (at 80% fec) over 5 years. The Centre will deliver collaborative, interdisciplinary, challenge-led research on social justice, champion the arts and humanities, strengthen and diversify the research community and foreground equitable partnerships, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and public engagement. 

AHRC expects consortia-based applications which will bring together diverse people, institutions, expertise, experiences, places, and wider stakeholders. The Centre will champion arts and humanities methods and approaches to legal scholarship in a way which enhances the interdisciplinary nature of the discipline. AHRC therefore expects to see interdisciplinary teams which extend across the arts and humanities and social sciences and beyond.

For more information about the call, and the four broad research themes AHRC expects successful centres to work on, please see the call page. Please note that as the call has only been pre-announced by the funder, this information is subject to change. Finally, AHRC strongly advises that teams preparing a bid consult their scoping report and blog post on creating opportunities in law.

 

University Internal selection:  

The funder expects to implement some form of demand management. This will likely mean that each institution will only be able submit one application where it is the lead applicant. Therefore, we expect that this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure.

We anticipate asking interested departments to complete an online selection form by mid-October, 2023. This Form will be circulated when the call opens. You will likely need the following documents and information to complete the Form (again, this will be  confirmed once the call opens): 

  • Basic details about the PI and collaborators
  • a project summary addressing the assessment criteria (see below)
  • a head of department support letter confirming their support for the project and that the respective Department is happy to host it

Internal Assessment Criteria: 

We anticipate that the assessment of internal applications will focus on the following core funder criteria: 

  • Fit to the funding opportunity and how well it addresses the three core objectives (see Scope section in the call page for the three core objectives)
  • Consortium, including the partners involved, how they have contributed to the proposal and how they will contribute to the Centre 
  • Consideration of equality, diversity, and inclusion across the full remit of the Centre, including your plans for public engagement

Funder deadline: January, 2024 (for outline stage; exact date TBA) and July, 2024 (for full proposal stage; exact date TBA)

Award: £5 Million funded at 80% over 5 years
Deadline: mid-October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik and researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk

T-AP funding opportunity on democracy, governance and trust

Summary: We invite interdisciplinary (understood here as the integration of information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, methodologies, concepts, or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialised knowledge) and innovative research proposals that promise advances in one or several of the following ways:

  • improve and innovate our conceptualisation and theorisation of DGT
  • address topics aimed at collective responses to global challenges for DGT
  • empirically define and describe the opportunities, challenges and crises relevant to DGT from a historical, contemporary, or prospective perspective
  • offer diverse methodological, disciplinary, and cross-national perspectives on these topics
  • study or test interventions (meaning improving outcomes and making a difference) aimed at enhancing democratic processes, improving governance, and rebuilding trust in formal and informal political systems, economic structures, cultural associations, education and public institutions
  • advance knowledge through co-developing work programmes with communities, educators, and key stakeholders in civil society, education and government
  • examine the role of digital media, tools, and technologies in eroding or strengthening DGT and the roles of education, cultural institutions and the law in shaping, facilitating and restraining this role of digital media

These objectives aim to leverage expertise from social sciences and humanities, and relevant related disciplines, to tackle prominent challenges facing societies today. They may make use of theoretical and empirical insights and recognise the value of co-production and practice fostering initiatives and projects conducive to supporting democratic experimentations and experiences, governance improvements and trust.

Award: Between £200,000 and £400,000 fEC, funded at 80%. UKRI funds UK partners at 80% FEC. Projects start September 2024 and will last between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 06 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

Research the social sciences in the Open Research Area

Summary:  Apply for funding for international research in any area of the social sciences.

Your project must be a collaboration between researchers based in at least three of the participating countries:

  • UK
  • France
  • Germany
  • Canada

You may also seek partnerships with researchers based in Japan.

SSHRC will coordinate this funding opportunity.

Award: Between £200,000 and £600,000 fEC, funded at 80% by ESRC. The other research councils will fund: ANR: Up to EUR 450,00; DFG: no maximum limit; SSHR: up to $600,000 (maximum $200,000 per year). Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 14 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

AHRC responsive mode: working with Brazilian researchers: round one

Summary:  Apply for funding to work with overseas researchers in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

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 and methods
  • 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 £1,500,000 fEC, funded at 80% by AHRC. FAPESP will accept proposals of up to £1.5 million from Brazilian Researchers. The maximum duration of this award is five years.

Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

AHRC responsive mode: follow-on Funding for impact and engagement: round two

Summary:  Follow-on funding supports unforeseen knowledge exchange, public engagement, active dissemination and commercialisation activities that arise during the lifespan of, or following, an AHRC-funded project.

Award: Up to £100,000 fEC and smaller grants of up to £30,000 for shorter or higher-risk activities. Project duration up to one year.

Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: standard research grant - round two

Summary:  We’re looking for individual researchers with proposals 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.

We expect the project lead and any project co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: Between £300,000 to £1,500,000 fEC for projects up to five years in duration.

Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: collaborate with researchers in Luxembourg - round one

Summary:  You can submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the arts and humanities within the remit of AHRC 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 project lead contributing with a slightly higher research effort.

We’re looking for researchers with proposals 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 and methods
  • researchers working in other sectors
  • researchers based abroad

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

We expect the project leads and any co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: For the UK part, between £300,000 to £1,500,000 fEC (funded at 80%) for projects up to five years in duration.

Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: UKRI NSF-SBE lead agency - round one

Summary:  You can submit a collaborative research proposal within the remit of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and US National Science Foundation, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Directorate (NSF-SBE).

We’re looking for researchers with proposals 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 and methods
  • researchers working in other sectors
  • researchers based abroad

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

We expect the project leads and any co-leads to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: For the UK part, between £300,000 to £1,500,000 fEC (funded at 80%) for projects up to five years in duration.

Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Synthesising research on evolving narratives of histories and cultures

Summary:  SSHRC, Canadian Heritage, Genome Canada and AHRC have partnered on this funding opportunity to support research that will foster a deeper understanding of the state of knowledge about the global challenge of evolving narratives of cultures and histories. This opportunity contains two streams. UK applicants are eligible for Stream Two only:

Stream two

Stream two is reserved for applications jointly submitted by two applicants or project directors, one based in Canada and the other in the UK, who are affiliated with eligible institutions in their respective countries.

Up to 20 projects will be jointly funded by SSHRC and AHRC.

The resulting knowledge syntheses will:

  • identify roles that the academic, public, private and not-for-profit sectors can play in promoting more inclusive and equitable societies
  • inform the development of effective tools and technologies, robust policies, and sustainable practices required to support the path toward a diverse and inclusive future for all

Award: Funding is available for one-year projects. The UK-Canada teams can apply for up to C$ 30,000 from SSHRC and AHRC. Budgets cannot exceed a maximum 60%/40% split across the two agencies (for example, C$ 18,000/£7,000 or £10,000/C$ 12,000). AHRC will fund 80% of the UK budget’s full economic cost.

Deadline: 15 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Apply to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research

Summary:  AHRC is funding one research organisation to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research between 2024 and 2026. Through a framework of devolved funding, the hub will be expected to award, coordinate and support a cohort of four spoke projects across the UK that will engage new and diverse public audiences in participatory music research and engagement activities that are innovative, inspiring and impactful.

The Hub will have oversight of all of the projects and will act in a coordinating capacity. The Hub is not permitted to award funding to spoke projects based at any of the organisations where members of the Hub Leadership Team are based.

Award: Up to £812.500 fEC funded at 80%.
Deadline: 16 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC Innovation Scholars secondments in design: second round

Summary: Apply for funding to develop your skills and exchange knowledge through the UKRI Innovation Scholars programme. This secondment opportunity is focused on design. For this AHRC opportunity, the aim is to enhance the skills and careers of individuals in design research and innovation. This will be achieved through funding individual secondments focused on research and innovation, with networking events for the secondees.

You must have a desire to proactively engage with design and the motivation to work within it. Interdisciplinary secondment proposals as well as practice-based ones will be welcomed.

Your secondment is expected to:

  • boost your skills, knowledge, networking opportunities and therefore career development
  • intensify knowledge exchange and create porosity between different sectors, resulting in innovative outputs
  • bring benefits to your host organisation
  • add value to the design sector and the UK economy

Projects can last between six months and 36 months and can be full or part-time, or hybrid (a combination of part-time and full-time).

Award: Up to £200,000 funded at 100% for eligible salary, travel and subsistence costs.
Deadline: 30 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Centre for Law and Social Justice

Summary: AHRC is looking to fund a Centre for Law and Social Justice which will, over five years:

  • deliver collaborative, interdisciplinary, challenge-led research in the area of social justice on themes including trust, accountability, vulnerability, and citizens’ rights and which leads to positive changes including in local, national, and, where relevant, international policy and practice
  • champion arts and humanities methods and approaches to legal scholarship in a way which enhances the interdisciplinary nature of the discipline
  • develop support for legal scholars at all career stages and following diverse career routes to strengthen and diversify the existing, vibrant, community of scholars

Award: Up to £5 million fEC funded at 80% by AHRC.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update

UK Association
On Thursday 7th September 2023, it was announced that the UK Government and the European Commission have agreed in principle on the UK’s association to the Horizon Europe and Copernicus programmes under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA). What now remains is for the relevant protocols to be signed, which will allow the UK to formally associate to Horizon Europe from 1st January 2024.

UK organisations should continue applying to all open and upcoming 2023 and 2024 Horizon Europe calls as a Beneficiary (either as Co-ordinator or partner) even before association formally takes effect. However, the source of funding will differ depending on the Work Programme year of the call.

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.

Horizon Europe Main Work Programme

This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner
 

Highlighted notices:

Processing of large, complex and unstructured datasets resulting from criminal investigations, while reconciling big data analysis and data protection
HORIZON-CL3-2023-FCT-01-01
Deadline: 23 November 2023

A new framework to improve traffic safety culture in the EU 
HORIZON-CL5-2024-D6-01-12
Deadline: 05 September 2024

Leverage the digital transition for competitive European cultural and creative industries 
HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-01-03
Deadline: 07 February 2024

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: 8 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Consolidator Grants

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: 12 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Knowledge Frontiers: International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2024

Summary: The purpose of each project will be to develop new international interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences. Research may be problem-focused, creatively innovative and exploratory, and should bring together relevant disciplines in both the humanities and social sciences, where appropriate, for maximum impact/effect. The Academy requires all applications to fundamentally involve and integrate both the humanities and the social sciences.

The aim of this call is to support international collaborations between early career researchers in the UK and elsewhere on internationally focused research projects of an interdisciplinary nature involving the humanities AND social sciences. Other than this framing of international interdisciplinary research led by early career researchers, the research itself can be focused on any issue or topic. There are no themes to this call. It is open to any research focus if it meets the international interdisciplinary focus.

Award: Awards of 24 months in duration and up to £300,000. Funding can be used to support the time of the Principal Investigator and Co-Applicants; postdoctoral (or equivalent) research assistance; travel, fieldwork and related expenses; and networking costs. Awards are offered on an 80% full economic costing basis. Projects must begin in March/April 2024.
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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.

This is a new programme for the British Academy and in this pilot phase we are delighted to be offering opportunities for Global Innovation Fellowship award holders to embed themselves and be based in the office of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin.

Applications are invited in any of the following areas:

  • Technology and International Affairs.
  • Global Order and Disorder
  • Eastern and South-eastern Europe.
  • Sustainability, Nature & Climate.

Award: The Academy is offering up to three 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%).
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

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.

This is a new programme for the British Academy and in this pilot phase we are delighted to be offering opportunities for Global Innovation Fellowship award holders to embed themselves and be based in the offices of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The aim is to have a mutually beneficial partnership between the fellowship award holder and Carnegie 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. 

Applications are invited in any of the following five areas:

  • Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics.
  • Technology and International Affairs.
  • Democracy, Conflict & Governance.
  • Global Order and Institutions.
  • Nuclear Policy.

Award: The Academy is offering up to three one-year fellowships hosted in Carnegie’s offices in the USA (Washington DC or California). These are offered as awards for up to £150,000 for 12 months in duration (with Full Economic Costing at 80%).
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme 2023-24 – Route B: Policy-Led

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 and 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.

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

  1. The Impact of Serious and Organised Crime on Future UK Foreign Policy
  2. The History of International Development and Aid Policy
  3. Iran
  4. India and other South Asian states

Award: The Academy is offering awards up to £120,000 for 12 months in duration, funded at 80% FEC. Awards are expected to commence no earlier than 1 January 2023 and no later than 31 March 2024.
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

ODA International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2024

Summary: The purpose of each project will be to develop new international interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences that is ODA-eligible. Research may be problem-focused, creatively innovative and exploratory, and should bring together relevant disciplines in both the humanities and social sciences, where appropriate, for maximum impact/effect. The Academy requires all applications to fundamentally involve and integrate both the humanities and the social sciences.

The aim of this call is to support international collaborations between early career researchers in the UK and early career researchers in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries on internationally focused ODA-eligible research projects of an interdisciplinary nature involving the humanities AND social sciences. Other than this framing of international interdisciplinary research led by early career researchers that is ODA-eligible, the research itself can be focused on any issue or topic. There are no themes to this call other than the research must be ODA-eligible.

Award: Up to £300,000 fEC (funded at 80%) for awards of 24 months in duration. Projects must begin March/April 2024.
Deadline: 01 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

APEX Awards

Summary: The APEX award (Academies Partnership in Supporting Excellence in Cross-disciplinary research award) scheme offers established independent researchers, with a strong track record in their respective area, an exciting opportunity to pursue genuine interdisciplinary and curiosity-driven research to benefit wider society.

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: Up to £100,000 for awards up to 24 months in duration. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to separately apply for up to £10,000 to create and lead public engagement projects linked to thier APEX Award.
Deadline: 01 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

British Academy Small Research Grant

Summary: The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. Funds are available to facilitate initial project planning and development; to support the direct costs of research; and to enable the advancement of research through workshops or conferences, or visits by or to partner scholars. Grants are tenable for a between 1 and 24 months.
Award: Up to £10,000
Deadline: 08 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Trust International Fellowships

Summary: For established researchers to develop new knowledge, skills and ideas in one of more research centres outside the UK.

The scheme may be used for: 

  • developing new lines of research through overseas collaboration
  • making ‘discipline-hopping excursions’ into new areas of research
  • developing innovations in teaching
  • preparing for collaborative grant applications
  • observing and sharing ground-breaking techniques or practices 

Award: Maximum value of £50,000. Fellowships are tenable for between 3 and 24 months.
Deadline: 09 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships

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.

For experiences researchers in any discipline, to complete a piece of research.

Award: Maximum value of £65,000. Fellowships are tenable for between 3 and 24 months.
Deadline: 09 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Mental Health Award: Understanding how anxiety- and trauma-related problems develop, persist and resolve

Summary: This award will fund researchers to investigate the causal mechanisms through which brain, body and environment interact over time in the development, persistence and resolution of anxiety- and trauma-related disorders. Knowing more about these mechanisms will help us find better ways to identify these problems and intervene at an early stage.
Award: Up to £4 million. Project duration up to 5 years.
Deadline: 14 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship

Summary: The BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships are intended to enable established scholars, needing relief from teaching and administration, to have the time to bring to completion a significant piece of research, through sustained period of leave for one year.
Award: The salary of a replacement lecturer.
Deadline: 16 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards

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. Projects are usually 8 years in duration, but may be less for some disciplines and may only be longer if held on a part-time basis.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 16 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

BA International Writing Workshops

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: Maximum £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.
Deadline: 06 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme Study Abroad Studentships

Summary: For students to study or undertake research at a centre of learning in any country except the UK or USA. Studentships are tenable for between 12 and 24 months. The Trust offers approximately 25 Study Abroad Studentships each year.
Award: Students receive a basic annual maintenance allowance of £23,040.
Deadline: 09 January 2024
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: £400,000
Deadline: 15 February 2024
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 16 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £2 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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact:
Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.

All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Vice Chancellors Awards for Research Impact and Engagement

Summary: Organised by the Public Engagement Team and the Research Strategy Impact Team, these awards recognise outstanding achievement, innovation and creativity in devising and implementing ambitious engagement and impact plans which have the potential to create significant impact from and engagement with, research.

Deadline: 05 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: publicengagement@admin.cam.ac.uk

AI-deas: challenge-led AI funding scheme

Summary: An ambitious, multidisciplinary programme of challenge-led, AI-enabled innovation supported by AI@Cam will spin up new research teams, develop collaborations with business, policymakers and civil society, and take innovative ideas from the lab to application. Research teams supported by AI@Cam’s AI-deas scheme will have access to funding and research support to scale their work and impact.
 
To start, we’re inviting researchers across the University of Cambridge to submit concept papers setting out their idea for how AI could serve science, citizens, and society by 09:00 on 6 October 2023. We’ll convene researchers working on connected themes together to establish a challenge-led research programme to drive a step-change in AI research, policy, and practice. We’ll provide start-up funding and will work with challenge teams to support their progress.
Award: Start-up funding of £150k
Deadline: 06 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Jess Montgomery at jkm40@cam.ac.uk

Tsinghua-Cambridge Joint Research Initiative Fund Call for proposals 2023

Summary: The Tsinghua University - Cambridge University Joint Research Initiative has released the 2023 call for proposals, which is broadly focused on approaches to a sustainable future. Projects can address any aspect of sustainability and associated research challenges. Examples of potential key themes include, but are not limited to climate change, pathways to net zero and climate repair; sustainable use of natural resources; pathways to zero pollution; sustainable agriculture; conservation of biodiversity; achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals; climate/environmental justice, and so on. Each research proposal must be jointly prepared by PIs from both institutions.
Award: Projects should not exceed £12,500 for the Cambridge partners and  RMB 125,000 for Tsinghua partners for a project duration up to 12 months.
Deadline: 20 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Jingchen Hou at 
jingchen.hou@admin.cam.ac.uk

AHRC IAA Impact Fund Call

Summary: 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.
Award: Up to £15,000 covering 100% of directly incurred costs but not indirect costs.
Deadline: 20 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: 
AHImpact@admin.cam.ac.uk, include ‘AHRC IAA funding for Impact Projects’ in the subject line.  

AHRC Early Career Researcher Impact Fund Call

Summary: 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.
Award: Between £5,000 and £10,000 covering 100% of directly incurred costs. Up to two awards will be made per year.
Deadline: 20 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: 
AHImpact@admin.cam.ac.uk, include ‘AHRC IAA funding for Impact Projects’ in the subject line.  

AHSS Grants Academy

This 3 day in-person series of workshops is specifically designed for research staff. Participants who are relatively new to proposal writing will develop the skills and expertise needed to tackle this process with increased confidence and knowledge of what is required. Participants who have more experience of writing grants will acquire new techniques and knowledge which will enable them to develop stronger, more competitive research funding applications.
Programme:

  • Days 1-2 (1st and 2nd November): This two-day workshop is designed for individuals who have a research idea and a funder in mind. The workshop is a blend of facilitator input, exercises, discussion, and feedback.
  • Day 3 (3rd November): This grant writing day is designed to allow participants to consolidate the learning from the Grants Academy and make progress on their research proposal. There will be dedicated time and space to work intensively on their funding application in a supportive environment. 

 
There are 15 spaces available for AHSS researchers.  In order to express interest in participating, please fill out 
this form by 02 October 2023. We will be in touch the following week regarding availability of spaces. 

**In order to take part in the programme you must be of postdoctoral status and have an existing contract with the University of Cambridge or one of the colleges.

Climate change debate and spokesperson masterclass

Course 1:  

  • Introductory workshop (online): Friday 13th October, 13:00-15:00 
  • In-person debate training (Imperial College, Kensington Campus): Monday 16th Oct, 9:30-17:00 

 Course 2: 

  • Introductory workshop (online): Thursday 16th Nov 10:00-12:00 
  • In-person debate training (Imperial College, Kensington Campus): Friday 17th Nov, 9:30-17:00 

The total amount of time for each training course is 10 hours, split across different sessions in one week:

  • One online introductory workshop facilitated by the Grantham Institutes, focused on expanding expertise and communicating comprehensive narratives on climate science and economics. This workshop will also review narratives based on misinformation on climate change and the elements of successful rebuttal.
  •  Full-day, in-person training session run by debating and communications experts at the consultancy Purpose Union. These sessions focus on practical debate training for public and media communication, including debating strategies and techniques; understanding and persuading audiences; and choosing the most effective framing for an argument. These trainings are focused on general tools and techniques that you yourself can apply in any situation.

Training course is free and open to participants working across academic climate change research, including climate science, economics and policy. Each course has 10 places.

Register your interest here.

  

Rising Stars engaging communications and public engagement training course

Summary: Our Rising Stars course is open to postgraduates, post-docs and early career academics at Cambridge. In five lunch and learn sessions, we’ll take you through the steps involved in planning, organising and delivering a public engagement activity with the opportunity to run the activity you have developed at the Cambridge Festival. The festival runs from 14-28 March 2024 with our family weekend on 23-24 March. 

Applications close Monday 9 October and the course starts on Wednesday 18 October.

More details and to apply: https://www.cam.ac.uk/public-engagement/rising-stars-engaging-communications-and-public-engagement-training
  

The Impact and Innovation of Research

Summary: Have you ever wondered how your research might have impact on the world beyond the academy? Join us at our upcoming gathering ‘The impact and innovation of research’ which will offer a unique opportunity to delve into the invaluable insights and experiences of esteemed academics who have effectively translated their work into real-world impact.

Topics covered include:

  • What impact is and how it relates to research
  • Pathways and routes to Impact
  • How research underpins real-world impact
  • How to define an audience
  • What success looks like

Time: 15:30 
Date: 19 October 2023
Register here
 

 

AHSS Bulletin September 2023

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

September 2023

 

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
 
ESRC responsive mode: Secondary data analysis round one (28 September 2023) ESRC
Understanding geohazard processes and their impacts across India (3 October 2023) UKRI
BRAID: Ecosystem Scoping to Embed Responsible AI in Context (5 October 2023)
ADR UK Research Fellowships 2023 (10 October 2023) ESRC
Restricted Call: Pre-announcement – Centre for Law and Social Justice (internal deadline: mid-October) AHRC
AHRC responsive mode: Curiosity Award (19 October 2023) AHRC
AHRC responsive mode: Catalyst Award (19 October 2023) AHRC
Creating Opportunities Evaluation Development Fund (31 October 2023) UKRI
Creating Opportunities Trial Accelerator Fund (31 October 2023) UKRI
Research the social sciences in the Open Research Area (14 November 2023) URKI
AHRC responsive mode: working with Brazilian Researchers: round one (07 December 2023) AHRC
Pre-announcement: Apply to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research (16 January 2024) AHRC
Pre-announcement: AHRC Innovation Scholars secondments in design (TBA February 2024) AHRC

 
EU/International Funding
 
Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update
Horizon Europe Main Work Programme (various dates)
ERC Starting Grant (24 October 2023)
ERC Synergy Grant (8 November 2023)
 
Charity Funding
 
Leverhulme Visiting Professorships (5 October 2023)
Wellcome Trust Early-Career Award (5 October 2023)
British Academy Innovation Fellowship - Route A: Researcher-Led (11 October 2023)
Knowledge Frontiers: International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2024 (1 November 2023)
Global Innovation Fellowships: The German Council on Foreign Relations (1 November 2023)
Global Innovation Fellowships: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1 November 2023)
British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme 2023-24 - Route B: Policy-Led (01 November 2023)
British Academy Small Research Grant (8 November 2023)
Wellcome Trust Mental Health Award: Understanding how anxiety- and trauma-related problems develop, persist and resolve (14 November 2023)
BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships (16 November 2023)
Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards (16 November 2023)
Wellcome Trust Discovery Awards (16 April 2024)
 
Internal Funding
 
Large Grant Contribution Fund (rolling deadline; minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline)
REF Impact Fund (rolling deadline)
All-Council Rapid Impact Acceleration Account Call (rolling deadline, until 4 September 2023)
Cambridge Africa ALBORADA Research Fund 2023 (04 September 2023)
Public Engagement Starter Fund (05 September 2023)
DAAD Cambridge Funding (07 September 2023)
Keynes Fund (29 September 2023)
Vice Chancellors Awards for Research Impact and Engagement (5 October 2023)
Tsinghua-Cambridge Joint Research Initiative Fund Call for proposals (20 October 2023)
 
Training
 
Rising Star engaging communications and public engagement training course (18 October)
The Impact and Innovation of Research (19 October 2023)
 
 
ESRC responsive mode: secondary data analysis round one
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 the 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.

Award: Up to £300,000, funded at 80%.
Deadline: 28 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Understanding geohazard processes and their impacts across India
Summary: Building resilience to geohazards presents a major challenge that requires collaborative international action by researchers, policymakers, governments, private sectors, and civil societies.
The Understanding geohazard processes and their impacts across India programme will fund interdisciplinary research that:

seeks to understand the contextual fundamental physics of earthquake and landslide processes behind geohazard events in India and its neighbouring countries
explores the social, cultural and environmental impacts of cascading geohazards within India and its neighbouring countries in order to enhance environmental and community resilience at the local, regional and national scale by devising novel risk reduction and mitigation strategies
It is expected that project teams will need to incorporate researchers from a range of disciplines.

Projects should further understanding of and address knowledge gaps in the fundamental properties and physics of earthquake and landslide processes through appropriate methods.

Research should be informed by local knowledge and understanding of disaster events. Projects should therefore employ a participatory approach from the outset in order to co-develop tools and approaches with local communities, that will have direct impact on the ground.

Award: Up to £1,000,000, funded at 80%. Matched funding will be available from the Ministry of Earth Sciences, India. 
Deadline: 03 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 
 
BRAID: Ecosystem Scoping to Embed Responsible AI in Context
Summary: Funding to support projects that will undertake scoping and preparation work, building partnerships and mapping parts of the AI ecosystem that could be the focus of a future responsible AI demonstrator project.
All proposals must clearly outline the rationale for their chosen context, including why a deeper understanding of what ‘responsible AI’ means in that context is important, and who would benefit from it. When thinking about the project’s outcomes, you should consider:

the potential for adoption and translation of existing responsible AI research, tools and practices into this context (for example, algorithmic audits, impact assessments, red-teaming exercises, model cards, ethics review boards)
the potential for new responsible AI knowledge, tools or practices to be developed in this context, or adapted for this AI context from other domains or histories
the barriers, opportunities and incentives to Responsible AI in this context
the network of actors, stakeholders, powers and interests in this context
achievable goals and action-guiding criteria for Responsible AI in this context
Note we expect funded projects to explore at least three of these.

Award: Between £187,500 to £312,500 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 05 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
ADR UK Research Fellowships 2023
Summary: Applications must make use of ADR England flagship linked datasets, held in the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service or other ADR UK trusted research environments. These datasets are detailed in the ADR England flagship dataset brochure (PDF, 1.5MB), which will be updated when the funding opportunity opens for applications on 5 July 2023.
We are looking for fellowship proposals that meet the following four objectives:

useful research: proposals that will act as ‘pathfinders’ for conducting research and deriving insights from the dataset, and which showcase the potential for policy impact and public benefit
useful data: proposals that will develop the data as a useful research resource for future users
useful engagement: proposals that will foster opportunities between academia, government, the third sector and the public to allow fresh thinking to flourish and maintain public acceptance of the use of data for research purposes
community building: proposals that will greatly boost the applicant’s development as a research leader in their field and include activities promoting the development of a wider community around a particular dataset or theme
Award: Up to £175,000 funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 18 months.
Deadline: 10 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 
 
Restricted call: AHRC Centre for Law and Social Justice
Summary: 
Full details for this round are not yet available as the call will open in September 2023. The purpose of this communication is to bring the scheme to your attention and to allow candidates sufficient time to prepare strong applications. The University’s internal selection process for this round will be confirmed once the call opens. This information is subject to change. 

AHRC has announced the Centre for Law and Social Justice call. 

AHRC will fund one Centre for Law and Social Justice and offer £5M (at 80% fec) over 5 years. The Centre will deliver collaborative, interdisciplinary, challenge-led research on social justice, champion the arts and humanities, strengthen and diversify the research community and foreground equitable partnerships, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and public engagement. 

AHRC expects consortia-based applications which will bring together diverse people, institutions, expertise, experiences, places, and wider stakeholders. The Centre will champion arts and humanities methods and approaches to legal scholarship in a way which enhances the interdisciplinary nature of the discipline. AHRC therefore expects to see interdisciplinary teams which extend across the arts and humanities and social sciences and beyond.

For more information about the call, and the four broad research themes AHRC expects successful centres to work on, please see the call page. Please note that as the call has only been pre-announced by the funder, this information is subject to change. Finally, AHRC strongly advises that teams preparing a bid consult their scoping report and blog post on creating opportunities in law.

University Internal selection:  

The funder expects to implement some form of demand management. This will likely mean that each institution will only be able submit one application where it is the lead applicant. Therefore, we expect that this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure.

We anticipate asking interested departments to complete an online selection form by mid-October, 2023. This Form will be circulated when the call opens. You will likely need the following documents and information to complete the Form (again, this will be  confirmed once the call opens): 

Basic details about the PI and collaborators
a project summary addressing the assessment criteria (see below)
a head of department support letter confirming their support for the project and that the respective Department is happy to host it

Internal Assessment Criteria: 

We anticipate that the assessment of internal applications will focus on the following core funder criteria: 

Fit to the funding opportunity and how well it addresses the three core objectives (see Scope section in the call page for the three core objectives)
Consortium, including the partners involved, how they have contributed to the proposal and how they will contribute to the Centre 
Consideration of equality, diversity, and inclusion across the full remit of the Centre, including your plans for public engagement
Funder deadline: January, 2024 (for outline stage; exact date TBA) and July, 2024 (for full proposal stage; exact date TBA)

Award: £5 Million funded at 80% over 5 years
Deadline: mid-October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik and researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk
 
 
AHRC responsive mode: 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 scheme is intentionally flexible. An indicative list of examples of the activities we will fund are provided below. 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 / 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
NB: this is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list.

Projects can last up to five years in duration. The earliest permissible start date is 1 March 2024.

Award: Up to £100,000 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 19 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
AHRC responsive mode: 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 and/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.

Projects can last up to five years in duration. The earliest permissible start date is 1 June 2024.

Award: Between £100,000–£300,000 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 19 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Creating Opportunities Evaluation Development Fund
Summary: The Creating Opportunities Development Evaluation Fund is aimed at enabling the research and innovation community to test interventions on the ground, primarily using robust counterfactual impact evaluation methods. In doing so, grant holders will help address gaps and weaknesses in the existing evidence base underpinning the thematic areas covered by the UKRI creating opportunities, improving outcomes strategic theme.
This fund will support small-scale evaluation activity that is focused on tackling persistent local and regional inequalities within the UK. Awards will last up to 12 months.

Award: Between £100,000 and £250,000 funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: 31 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Creating Opportunities Trial Accelerator Fund
Summary:  The UKRI Creating Opportunities Trial Accelerator Fund is aimed at enabling the research and innovation community to test interventions that will spread opportunities and reduce spatial disparities in economic, health and social outcomes for people and places across the UK by using, primarily, robust counterfactual impact evaluation methods.
In doing so, grant holders will help address gaps and weaknesses in the existing evidence base underpinning the thematic areas covered by the UKRI “Creating Opportunities, Improving Outcomes” strategic theme.

Objectives
The overarching objectives are to:
generate causal evidence on what works to spread opportunities and reduce spatial disparities in outcomes for people and places across the UK
accelerate the development of innovative and ethical methods for robustly testing and evaluating the impact of interventions related to the thematic areas outlined below
build the capacity of the research and innovation system to forge interdisciplinary collaborations and lasting partnerships with local communities (including those with lived experience) in designing and delivering robust research trials and related evaluation activity
provide actionable evidence that responds to the needs of decision makers and informs policy or practice at a local, regional, national, or international scale
Award: Between £1 million and £2.5 million funded at 80% fEC. Projects should last between 13 and 48 months.
Deadline: 31 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Research the social sciences in the Open Research Area
Summary:  Apply for funding for international research in any area of the social sciences.
Your project must be a collaboration between researchers based in at least three of the participating countries:

UK
France
Germany
Canada
You may also seek partnerships with researchers based in Japan.

SSHRC will coordinate this funding opportunity.

Award: Between £200,000 and £600,000 fEC, funded at 80% by ESRC. The other research councils will fund: ANR: Up to EUR 450,00; DFG: no maximum limit; SSHR: up to $600,000 (maximum $200,000 per year). Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 14 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 
 
AHRC responsive mode: working with Brazilian researchers: round one
Summary:  Apply for funding to work with overseas researchers in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).
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 and methods
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 £1,500,000 fEC, funded at 80% by AHRC. FAPESP will accept proposals of up to £1.5 million from Brazilian Researchers. The maximum duration of this award is five years.

Deadline: 07 December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 
 
Pre-announcement: Apply to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research
Summary:  AHRC is funding one research organisation to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research between 2024 and 2026. Through a framework of devolved funding, the hub will be expected to award, coordinate and support a cohort of four spoke projects across the UK that will engage new and diverse public audiences in participatory music research and engagement activities that are innovative, inspiring and impactful.
The Hub will have oversight of all of the projects and will act in a coordinating capacity. The Hub is not permitted to award funding to spoke projects based at any of the organisations where members of the Hub Leadership Team are based.

Award: Up to £812.500 fEC funded at 80%.
Deadline: 16 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Pre-announcement: AHRC Innovation Scholars secondments in design
Summary: Apply for funding to develop your skills and exchange knowledge through the UKRI Innovation Scholars programme. This secondment opportunity is focused on design. For this AHRC opportunity, the aim is to enhance the skills and careers of individuals in design research and innovation. This will be achieved through funding individual secondments focused on research and innovation, with networking events for the secondees.
You must have a desire to proactively engage with design and the motivation to work within it. Interdisciplinary secondment proposals as well as practice-based ones will be welcomed.

Your secondment is expected to:

boost your skills, knowledge, networking opportunities and therefore career development
intensify knowledge exchange and create porosity between different sectors, resulting in innovative outputs
bring benefits to your host organisation
add value to the design sector and the UK economy
Projects can last between six months and 36 months and can be full or part-time, or hybrid (a combination of part-time and full-time).

Award: Up to £200,000 funded at 100% for eligible salary, travel and subsistence costs.
Deadline: TBA February 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update
UKRI Guarantee Guidance

The scope of UKRI’s Horizon Europe Guarantee Funding has been extended. It now covers all eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe calls with final submission deadlines on or before 30th September 2023. Previously, it covered Horizon Europe calls with a final submission deadline on or before 31st March 2023.

Other updates introduced include i) additional notes on associated partner obligations (page 6 of guidance) and ii) revision to IFS post-award monitoring (Q&A question 8). These updates and their implications will be reviewed by EU and International Team and communicated in due course.
 
Future applications: The UK is still eligible to apply for EU funding and applications made through Cambridge must still apply as if the UK is already an Associated Country.  This is because:
The EC states in the General Annexes (page 7) “…third countries negotiating association to Horizon Europe will be treated as entities established in an Associated Country…”  
Applicants will not be eligible for the UK government funding if they are unable demonstrate that the sole reason they need funding is because the UK’s association has not been completed by the time the grant agreement needs to be signed – see page 4 in the Guidance.

Updates on Association: Please visit the Research Operation Office’s EU pages.
 
 
Horizon Europe Main Work Programme
This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 
Highlighted notices:
Europe’s cultural heritage and arts – promoting our values at home and abroad 
HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-01-04
Deadline: 07 February 2024

Political participation in multilingual spaces 
HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-10
Deadline: 07 February 2024

Thematic networks to compile and share knowledge ready for practice 
HORIZON-CL6-2024-GOVERNANCE-01-9
Deadline: 28 February 2024
 
 
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: 24 October 2023
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: 8 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 
 
Leverhulme 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 in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research. A Visiting Professorship may last for between 3 and 12 months, and tenures of 6 months or more can be spread over 2 or more visits.
Award: Between £10,000 and £150,000
Deadline: 5 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 
 
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: £400,000
Deadline: 5 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme – Route A: Researcher-led
Summary: The British Academy is inviting applications for funding for researcher-led Innovation Fellowships (Route A), through which applicants must apply with a partner which they have identified. 
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. These Fellowships will forge innovative place-based partnerships to create new intellectual, cultural, community and economic opportunities that will address key societal challenges. This includes, but is not limited to:

developing new approaches for supporting innovation across the economy, regions, and society;
contributing to and leading on challenges targeted at increasing links with industry and business, broadly defined;
improving direct connection of researchers with policymakers, leaders and innovators at local and regional levels.
Award: Up to £120,000. The Lead Applicant must commit between 0.4 and 0.8 FTE. Project duration is between 6–12 months.
Deadline: 11 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Knowledge Frontiers: International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2024
Summary: The purpose of each project will be to develop new international interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences. Research may be problem-focused, creatively innovative and exploratory, and should bring together relevant disciplines in both the humanities and social sciences, where appropriate, for maximum impact/effect. The Academy requires all applications to fundamentally involve and integrate both the humanities and the social sciences.
The aim of this call is to support international collaborations between early career researchers in the UK and elsewhere on internationally focused research projects of an interdisciplinary nature involving the humanities AND social sciences. Other than this framing of international interdisciplinary research led by early career researchers, the research itself can be focused on any issue or topic. There are no themes to this call. It is open to any research focus if it meets the international interdisciplinary focus.

Award: Awards of 24 months in duration and up to £300,000. Funding can be used to support the time of the Principal Investigator and Co-Applicants; postdoctoral (or equivalent) research assistance; travel, fieldwork and related expenses; and networking costs. Awards are offered on an 80% full economic costing basis. Projects must begin in March/April 2024.
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Global Innovation Fellowships: The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
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.

This is a new programme for the British Academy and in this pilot phase we are delighted to be offering opportunities for Global Innovation Fellowship award holders to embed themselves and be based in the office of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin.
Applications are invited in any of the following areas:

  • Technology and International Affairs.
  • Global Order and Disorder
  • Eastern and South-eastern Europe.
  • Sustainability, Nature & Climate.

Award: The Academy is offering up to three 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%).
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 
 
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.

This is a new programme for the British Academy and in this pilot phase we are delighted to be offering opportunities for Global Innovation Fellowship award holders to embed themselves and be based in the offices of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The aim is to have a mutually beneficial partnership between the fellowship award holder and Carnegie 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. 

Applications are invited in any of the following five areas:

  • Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics.
  • Technology and International Affairs.
  • Democracy, Conflict & Governance.
  • Global Order and Institutions.
  • Nuclear Policy.

Award: The Academy is offering up to three one-year fellowships hosted in Carnegie’s offices in the USA (Washington DC or California). These are offered as awards for up to £150,000 for 12 months in duration (with Full Economic Costing at 80%).
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 
 
British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme 2023-24 – Route B: Policy-Led
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 and 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.
The Academy and the FCDO invite applications for Fellowships in any of the following four areas.

  1. The Impact of Serious and Organised Crime on Future UK Foreign Policy
  2. The History of International Development and Aid Policy
  3. Iran
  4. India and other South Asian states

Award: The Academy is offering awards up to £120,000 for 12 months in duration, funded at 80% FEC. Awards are expected to commence no earlier than 1 January 2023 and no later than 31 March 2024.
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
British Academy Small Research Grant
Summary: The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. Funds are available to facilitate initial project planning and development; to support the direct costs of research; and to enable the advancement of research through workshops or conferences, or visits by or to partner scholars. Grants are tenable for a between 1 and 24 months.
Award: Up to £10,000
Deadline: 8 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Wellcome Trust Mental Health Award: Understanding how anxiety- and trauma-related problems develop, persist and resolve
Summary: This award will fund researchers to investigate the causal mechanisms through which brain, body and environment interact over time in the development, persistence and resolution of anxiety- and trauma-related disorders. Knowing more about these mechanisms will help us find better ways to identify these problems and intervene at an early stage.
Award: Up to £4 million. Project duration up to 5 years.
Deadline: 14 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship
Summary: The BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships are intended to enable established scholars, needing relief from teaching and administration, to have the time to bring to completion a significant piece of research, through sustained period of leave for one year.
Award: The salary of a replacement lecturer.
Deadline: 16 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards
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. Projects are usually 8 years in duration, but may be less for some disciplines and may only be longer if held on a part-time basis.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 16 November 2023
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 16 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik
 
 
Large Grant Contribution Fund
Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £2 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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.
 
 
All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call
Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis until 4 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman
 
 
Cambridge Africa ALBORADA Research Fund 2023
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 institution and sub-Saharan African institutions, across all disciplines, to initiate and/or strengthen research collaborations. For this round, we may be able to consider applications from North Africa.
 
The Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund competitively awards grants 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)
Award: Between £1,000 and £20,000.
Deadline: 04 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: alboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk
 
 
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. Applications to the 2023 Public Engagement Starter Fund, for grants of up to £2000, can be submitted until 05 September 2023.  The fund supports novel projects based on contemporary research at the University of Cambridge. Further guidance, including detailed application guidelines, is available online.

A completed online application form must be submitted by the deadline of 5 September 2023.

You can book a drop-in session with the public engagement team to learn more about the fund. 

Award: Up to £2,000.
Deadline: 05 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: publicengagement@admin.cam.ac.uk
 
 
DAAD Cambridge Research Hub Funding
Summary: This fund offers three strands of funding to support 1) Workshops and Seed Funding for Projects 2) Visits to Cambridge by German scholars 3) Public Engagement Activities.
Award: Up to £5,000, varies between strands.
Deadline: 07 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Ingrid Hobbis, Ingrid.Hobbis@admin.cam.ac.uk
 
 
Keynes Fund
Summary: The Keynes Fund supports 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 encourages 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.
Award: Standard grants up to £50,000; Large grants in excess of £50,000.
Deadline: 29 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Marion Reusch, Keynes Fund Administrator, keynes-fund@econ.cam.ac.uk
 
 
Vice Chancellors Awards for Research Impact and Engagement
Summary: Organised by the Public Engagement Team and the Research Strategy Impact Team, these awards recognise outstanding achievement, innovation and creativity in devising and implementing ambitious engagement and impact plans which have the potential to create significant impact from and engagement with, research.

Deadline: 05 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: publicengagement@admin.cam.ac.uk
 
 
Tsinghua-Cambridge Joint Research Initiative Fund Call for proposals 2023
Summary: The Tsinghua University - Cambridge University Joint Research Initiative has released the 2023 call for proposals, which is broadly focused on approaches to a sustainable future. Projects can address any aspect of sustainability and associated research challenges. Examples of potential key themes include, but are not limited to climate change, pathways to net zero and climate repair; sustainable use of natural resources; pathways to zero pollution; sustainable agriculture; conservation of biodiversity; achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals; climate/environmental justice, and so on. Each research proposal must be jointly prepared by PIs from both institutions.
Award: Projects should not exceed £12,500 for the Cambridge partners and  RMB 125,000 for Tsinghua partners for a project duration up to 12 months.
Deadline: 20 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Jingchen Hou at jingchen.hou@admin.cam.ac.uk
 
 
Rising Stars engaging communications and public engagement training course
Summary: Our Rising Stars course is open to postgraduates, post-docs and early career academics at Cambridge. In five lunch and learn sessions, we’ll take you through the steps involved in planning, organising and delivering a public engagement activity with the opportunity to run the activity you have developed at the Cambridge Festival. The festival runs from 14-28 March 2024 with our family weekend on 23-24 March. 

Applications close Monday 9 October and the course starts on Wednesday 18 October.

More details and to apply: https://www.cam.ac.uk/public-engagement/rising-stars-engaging-communications-and-public-engagement-training
 

 
 
The Impact and Innovation of Research
Summary: Have you ever wondered how your research might have impact on the world beyond the academy? Join us at our upcoming gathering ‘The impact and innovation of research’ which will offer a unique opportunity to delve into the invaluable insights and experiences of esteemed academics who have effectively translated their work into real-world impact.
Topics covered include:

  • What impact is and how it relates to research
  • Pathways and routes to Impact
  • How research underpins real-world impact
  • How to define an audience
  • What success looks like

Time: 15:30 
Date: 19 October 2023
Register here

AHSS Bulletin August 2023

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin 

August 2023 

  

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

Research climate and cultural heritage with international partners

Summary: Apply for funding to research climate and cultural heritage and tackle urgent challenges with international partners. This funding opportunity aims to:

  • support transdisciplinary and convergent research approaches on cultural heritage and climate change
  • foster collaboration among the research community across several regions
  • contribute to knowledge advances and policy change at the global level

You are invited to submit research proposals that should address at least one of the three funding opportunity themes:

  • the impact of climate change on cultural heritage
  • cultural heritage as a resource for climate mitigation and adaptation
  • sustainable solutions for heritage

Full details of each theme can be found on the Belmont Forum website.

Award: Up to EUR 250,000 for UK elements of the project, funded by the AHRC at 80% of the full economic cost.
Deadline: 08 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

Equitable nature-based climate resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa

Summary: Apply for funding to enhance understanding of scalability and contextualisation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Working in transdisciplinary teams, including SSA partners, you will explore opportunities for equitable nature-based climate resilience.

All projects must involve partners based in SSA as a project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)).

Award: Up to £2.25 million FEC, funded at 80%, with certain international partner costs at 100%.
Deadline: 13 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

Design Exchange Partnerships: design the green transition round two

Summary: Apply for funding to develop design-led solutions to address specific challenges facing biodiversity in the UK.

We welcome broad interpretations of the theme of biodiversity, including but not limited to one or more of the following areas:

  • natural resources
  • materials
  • land or marine use
  • health and wellbeing
  • regeneration and planning

Award: Up to £62,500 for six months or £125,000 for 12 months, plus a five to 10% contribution from the non-academic partner organisation. AHRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost.
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: follow-on funding for impact and engagement

Summary: The proposed activities should enhance the value and wider benefit of your original research project, and have a significant economic, social, cultural or policy impact.

The follow-on funding for impact and engagement aims to:

  • explore unforeseen pathways to impact either within the lifespan of an AHRC research project or resulting from a completed research project
  • enhance the value and benefits of AHRC-funded research beyond academia
  • encourage and enable a range of interactions and creative engagements 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

Award: Up to £100,000 FEC funded at 80% for project duration up to 12 months. Smaller awards of up to £30,000 (full economic cost) are encouraged for shorter, higher risk activities, for example the feasibility of an idea, exploring new partnerships for knowledge exchange, testing the market or investigating a new business model. Decision making times are reduced for these smaller awards.
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: standard research grant

Summary: AHRC standard research grants support collaborative research projects that require leadership from more than one scholar.

You must include a principal investigator and at least one co-investigator jointly involved in the development and management of the project and co-authored research outputs.

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 etc.
  • researchers working in other sectors
  • researchers based abroad

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

We expect the principal investigator and any co-investigators to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1,500,000 FEC funded at 80% for a project duration up to 60 months. 
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

T-AP funding opportunity on democracy, governance and trust

Summary: We invite interdisciplinary (understood here as the integration of information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, methodologies, concepts, or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialised knowledge) and innovative research proposals that promise advances in one or several of the following ways:

  • improve and innovate our conceptualisation and theorisation of DGT
  • address topics aimed at collective responses to global challenges for DGT
  • empirically define and describe the opportunities, challenges and crises relevant to DGT from a historical, contemporary, or prospective perspective
  • offer diverse methodological, disciplinary, and cross-national perspectives on these topics
  • study or test interventions (meaning improving outcomes and making a difference) aimed at enhancing democratic processes, improving governance, and rebuilding trust in formal and informal political systems, economic structures, cultural associations, education and public institutions
  • advance knowledge through co-developing work programmes with communities, educators, and key stakeholders in civil society, education and government
  • examine the role of digital media, tools, and technologies in eroding or strengthening DGT and the roles of education, cultural institutions and the law in shaping, facilitating and restraining this role of digital media

These objectives aim to leverage expertise from social sciences and humanities, and relevant related disciplines, to tackle prominent challenges facing societies today. They may make use of theoretical and empirical insights and recognise the value of co-production and practice fostering initiatives and projects conducive to supporting democratic experimentations and experiences, governance improvements and trust.

Award: Between £300,000 and £400,000 FEC funded at 80%. Projects start in September 2024 and will last 24 to 36 months. 
Deadline: 15 September 2023 (Notice of intention to apply deadline); 6 November 2023 (Full application deadline).
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Enhancing Well-Begin for the Future

Summary: Apply for funding to conduct innovative social science research across Europe, on the topic of 'enhancing wellbeing for the future'.

Project teams must be composed of at least four and maximum six  different European countries eligible to receive funding from the funding opportunity.

Award: Maximum funding per project for UK components is EUR 541,025 FEC funded at 80%. Maximum funding per project across all country components is EUR 1.5 million.  Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

International consortia for humanities-led research on crisis

Summary: Apply for funding to establish humanities-led transnational research consortia to explore crises past and present, responding to major social, cultural, and political challenges facing Europe and the world.

Each consortia must include at least four principal investigators eligible for Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) funding.

Award: The UK component of projects can have a full economic cost of up to £500,000, funded at 80%. Projects will last 24 to 36 months, starting between December 2024 and March 2025.
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

ESRC responsive mode: working with Luxembourg researchers round one

Summary: This opportunity funds work with researchers in Luxembourg. Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UKRI and FNR. You can submit collaborative research proposals in any area of social sciences within the remit of both ESRC and FNR.
Award: The UK part of the project can range from £350,000 to £1,000,000, funded at 80%. FNR will pay all justified costs for Luxembourg submitted through their system.
Deadline: 28 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

ESRC responsive mode: secondary data analysis round one

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 the 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.

Award: Up to £300,000, funded at 80%.
Deadline: 28 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Understanding geohazard processes and their impacts across India

Summary: Building resilience to geohazards presents a major challenge that requires collaborative international action by researchers, policymakers, governments, private sectors, and civil societies.

The Understanding geohazard processes and their impacts across India programme will fund interdisciplinary research that:

  • seeks to understand the contextual fundamental physics of earthquake and landslide processes behind geohazard events in India and its neighbouring countries
  • explores the social, cultural and environmental impacts of cascading geohazards within India and its neighbouring countries in order to enhance environmental and community resilience at the local, regional and national scale by devising novel risk reduction and mitigation strategies

It is expected that project teams will need to incorporate researchers from a range of disciplines.

Projects should further understanding of and address knowledge gaps in the fundamental properties and physics of earthquake and landslide processes through appropriate methods.

Research should be informed by local knowledge and understanding of disaster events. Projects should therefore employ a participatory approach from the outset in order to co-develop tools and approaches with local communities, that will have direct impact on the ground.

Award: Up to £1,000,000, funded at 80%. Matched funding will be available from the Ministry of Earth Sciences, India. 
Deadline: 03 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

BRAID: Ecosystem Scoping to Embed Responsible AI in Context

Summary: Funding to support projects that will undertake scoping and preparation work, building partnerships and mapping parts of the AI ecosystem that could be the focus of a future responsible AI demonstrator project.

All proposals must clearly outline the rationale for their chosen context, including why a deeper understanding of what ‘responsible AI’ means in that context is important, and who would benefit from it. When thinking about the project’s outcomes, you should consider:

  • the potential for adoption and translation of existing responsible AI research, tools and practices into this context (for example, algorithmic audits, impact assessments, red-teaming exercises, model cards, ethics review boards)
  • the potential for new responsible AI knowledge, tools or practices to be developed in this context, or adapted for this AI context from other domains or histories
  • the barriers, opportunities and incentives to Responsible AI in this context
  • the network of actors, stakeholders, powers and interests in this context
  • achievable goals and action-guiding criteria for Responsible AI in this context

Note we expect funded projects to explore at least three of these.

Award: Between £187,500 to £312,500 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 05 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ADR UK Research Fellowships 2023

Summary: Applications must make use of ADR England flagship linked datasets, held in the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service or other ADR UK trusted research environments. These datasets are detailed in the ADR England flagship dataset brochure (PDF, 1.5MB), which will be updated when the funding opportunity opens for applications on 5 July 2023.

We are looking for fellowship proposals that meet the following four objectives:

  • useful research: proposals that will act as ‘pathfinders’ for conducting research and deriving insights from the dataset, and which showcase the potential for policy impact and public benefit
  • useful data: proposals that will develop the data as a useful research resource for future users
  • useful engagement: proposals that will foster opportunities between academia, government, the third sector and the public to allow fresh thinking to flourish and maintain public acceptance of the use of data for research purposes
  • community building: proposals that will greatly boost the applicant’s development as a research leader in their field and include activities promoting the development of a wider community around a particular dataset or theme

Award: Up to £175,000 funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 18 months.
Deadline: 10 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Restricted call: AHRC Centre for Law and Social Justice

Summary

Full details for this round are not yet available as the call will open in September 2023. The purpose of this communication is to bring the scheme to your attention and to allow candidates sufficient time to prepare strong applications. The University’s internal selection process for this round will be confirmed once the call opens. This information is subject to change. 

AHRC has announced the Centre for Law and Social Justice call

AHRC will fund one Centre for Law and Social Justice and offer £5M (at 80% fec) over 5 years. The Centre will deliver collaborative, interdisciplinary, challenge-led research on social justice, champion the arts and humanities, strengthen and diversify the research community and foreground equitable partnerships, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and public engagement. 

AHRC expects consortia-based applications which will bring together diverse people, institutions, expertise, experiences, places, and wider stakeholders. The Centre will champion arts and humanities methods and approaches to legal scholarship in a way which enhances the interdisciplinary nature of the discipline. AHRC therefore expects to see interdisciplinary teams which extend across the arts and humanities and social sciences and beyond.

For more information about the call, and the four broad research themes AHRC expects successful centres to work on, please see the call page. Please note that as the call has only been pre-announced by the funder, this information is subject to change. Finally, AHRC strongly advises that teams preparing a bid consult their scoping report and blog post on creating opportunities in law.

 

University Internal selection:  

The funder expects to implement some form of demand management. This will likely mean that each institution will only be able submit one application where it is the lead applicant. Therefore, we expect that this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure.

We anticipate asking interested departments to complete an online selection form by mid-October, 2023. This Form will be circulated when the call opens. You will likely need the following documents and information to complete the Form (again, this will be  confirmed once the call opens): 

  • Basic details about the PI and collaborators
  • a project summary addressing the assessment criteria (see below)
  • a head of department support letter confirming their support for the project and that the respective Department is happy to host it

Internal Assessment Criteria: 

We anticipate that the assessment of internal applications will focus on the following core funder criteria: 

  • Fit to the funding opportunity and how well it addresses the three core objectives (see Scope section in the call page for the three core objectives)
  • Consortium, including the partners involved, how they have contributed to the proposal and how they will contribute to the Centre 
  • Consideration of equality, diversity, and inclusion across the full remit of the Centre, including your plans for public engagement

Funder deadline: January, 2024 (for outline stage; exact date TBA) and July, 2024 (for full proposal stage; exact date TBA)

Award: £5 Million funded at 80% over 5 years
Deadline: mid-October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik and researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk

AHRC responsive mode: 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 scheme is intentionally flexible. An indicative list of examples of the activities we will fund are provided below. 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 / 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

NB: this is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list.

Projects can last up to five years in duration. The earliest permissible start date is 1 March 2024.

Award: Up to £100,000 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 19 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: 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 and/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.

Projects can last up to five years in duration. The earliest permissible start date is 1 June 2024.

Award: Between £100,000–£300,000 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 19 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Creating Opportunities Evaluation Development Fund

Summary: The Creating Opportunities Development Evaluation Fund is aimed at enabling the research and innovation community to test interventions on the ground, primarily using robust counterfactual impact evaluation methods. In doing so, grant holders will help address gaps and weaknesses in the existing evidence base underpinning the thematic areas covered by the UKRI creating opportunities, improving outcomes strategic theme.

This fund will support small-scale evaluation activity that is focused on tackling persistent local and regional inequalities within the UK. Awards will last up to 12 months.

Award: Between £100,000 and £250,000 funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: 31 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Creating Opportunities Trial Accelerator Fund

Summary:  The UKRI Creating Opportunities Trial Accelerator Fund is aimed at enabling the research and innovation community to test interventions that will spread opportunities and reduce spatial disparities in economic, health and social outcomes for people and places across the UK by using, primarily, robust counterfactual impact evaluation methods.

In doing so, grant holders will help address gaps and weaknesses in the existing evidence base underpinning the thematic areas covered by the UKRI “Creating Opportunities, Improving Outcomes” strategic theme.

Objectives
The overarching objectives are to:

  • generate causal evidence on what works to spread opportunities and reduce spatial disparities in outcomes for people and places across the UK
  • accelerate the development of innovative and ethical methods for robustly testing and evaluating the impact of interventions related to the thematic areas outlined below
  • build the capacity of the research and innovation system to forge interdisciplinary collaborations and lasting partnerships with local communities (including those with lived experience) in designing and delivering robust research trials and related evaluation activity
  • provide actionable evidence that responds to the needs of decision makers and informs policy or practice at a local, regional, national, or international scale

Award: Between £1 million and £2.5 million funded at 80% fEC. Projects should last between 13 and 48 months.
Deadline: 31 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Research the social sciences in the Open Research Area

Summary:  Apply for funding for international research in any area of the social sciences.

Your project must be a collaboration between researchers based in at least three of the participating countries:

  • UK
  • France
  • Germany
  • Canada

You may also seek partnerships with researchers based in Japan.

SSHRC will coordinate this funding opportunity.

Award: Between £200,000 and £600,000 fEC, funded at 80% by ESRC. The other research councils will fund: ANR: Up to EUR 450,00; DFG: no maximum limit; SSHR: up to $600,000 (maximum $200,000 per year). Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 14 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

Pre-announcement: Apply to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research

Summary:  AHRC is funding one research organisation to become the Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research between 2024 and 2026. Through a framework of devolved funding, the hub will be expected to award, coordinate and support a cohort of four spoke projects across the UK that will engage new and diverse public audiences in participatory music research and engagement activities that are innovative, inspiring and impactful.

The Hub will have oversight of all of the projects and will act in a coordinating capacity. The Hub is not permitted to award funding to spoke projects based at any of the organisations where members of the Hub Leadership Team are based.

Award: Up to £812.500 fEC funded at 80%.
Deadline: 16 January 2024
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: AHRC Innovation Scholars secondments in design

Summary: Apply for funding to develop your skills and exchange knowledge through the UKRI Innovation Scholars programme. This secondment opportunity is focused on design. For this AHRC opportunity, the aim is to enhance the skills and careers of individuals in design research and innovation. This will be achieved through funding individual secondments focused on research and innovation, with networking events for the secondees.

You must have a desire to proactively engage with design and the motivation to work within it. Interdisciplinary secondment proposals as well as practice-based ones will be welcomed.

Your secondment is expected to:

  • boost your skills, knowledge, networking opportunities and therefore career development
  • intensify knowledge exchange and create porosity between different sectors, resulting in innovative outputs
  • bring benefits to your host organisation
  • add value to the design sector and the UK economy

Projects can last between six months and 36 months and can be full or part-time, or hybrid (a combination of part-time and full-time).

Award: Up to £200,000 funded at 100% for eligible salary, travel and subsistence costs.
Deadline: TBA February 2024
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Centre for Law and Social Justice

Summary: AHRC is looking to fund a Centre for Law and Social Justice which will, over five years:

  • deliver collaborative, interdisciplinary, challenge-led research in the area of social justice on themes including trust, accountability, vulnerability, and citizens’ rights and which leads to positive changes including in local, national, and, where relevant, international policy and practice
  • champion arts and humanities methods and approaches to legal scholarship in a way which enhances the interdisciplinary nature of the discipline
  • develop support for legal scholars at all career stages and following diverse career routes to strengthen and diversify the existing, vibrant, community of scholars

Award: Up to £5 million fEC funded at 80% by AHRC.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: population health improvement network of clusters

Summary: Apply for funding to lead a population health improvement research cluster.

For the purposes of this funding opportunity a research cluster is a group of interdisciplinary researchers working together to address an important population health challenge.

Up to 7 research clusters will be funded, each addressing a separate yet complementary challenge. Together they will form an interdisciplinary network, which will generate research to improve the health of communities across the UK, reduce health inequalities, and develop and evaluate effective, long-lasting and environmentally sustainable interventions.

Award: Between £5 million to £7 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of 48 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update

UKRI Guarantee Guidance
The scope of UKRI’s Horizon Europe Guarantee Funding has been extended. It now covers all eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe calls with final submission deadlines on or before 30th September 2023. Previously, it covered Horizon Europe calls with a final submission deadline on or before 31st March 2023.

Other updates introduced include i) additional notes on associated partner obligations (page 6 of guidance) and ii) revision to IFS post-award monitoring (Q&A question 8). These updates and their implications will be reviewed by EU and International Team and communicated in due course.
 
Future applications: The UK is still eligible to apply for EU funding and applications made through Cambridge must still apply as if the UK is already an Associated Country.  This is because:
The EC states in the General Annexes (page 7) “…third countries negotiating association to Horizon Europe will be treated as entities established in an Associated Country…”  
Applicants will not be eligible for the UK government funding if they are unable demonstrate that the sole reason they need funding is because the UK’s association has not been completed by the time the grant agreement needs to be signed – see page 4 in the Guidance.

Updates on Association: Please visit the Research Operation Office’s EU pages

Horizon Europe Main Work Programme

This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 

Highlighted notices:

Cultural and creative industries for a sustainable climate transition 
HORIZON-CL2-2024-HERITAGE-01-02
Deadline: 07 February 2024

Culture, the arts and cultural spaces for democratic participation and political expression, online and offline 
HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-08
Deadline: 07 February 2024

Social dialogue in the new world of work - HORIZON-CL2-2024-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-05
Deadline: 07 February 2024 

ERC Proof of Concept Grants

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research, 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. Proof of Concept Grants are therefore on offer only to Principal Investigators whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.
Award: up to € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Crisis: Perspectives from the Humanities

Summary: The Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) Network in collaboration with CHANSE (Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe) have launched a new Joint Research Programme “Crisis – Perspectives from the Humanities” (Crisis Call). 

By launching the Crisis Call, the national funding organisations involved want to create opportunities for humanities-led, collaborative, transnational research that will result in new academic insights relevant to major social, cultural, and political challenges facing Europe and the world. The aim of the programme is fourfold. It will:

  1. Provide, from a humanities perspective, new knowledge and understanding of the origins, sources and causes of the major philosophical, cultural, social, economic, religious, political and environmental crises that Europe and the world faced in the past and are facing today.
  2. Highlight the complex role of cultural and social practices in shaping responses to crises but also, sometimes, in creating these, be it today or in the past, and will help us to understand whether and, if so, how cultural traditions problematize the notion of crisis as a fundamental and critical moment for society and for communities.
  3. Explore the impact of culture in shaping resilience in the face of crises. Culture helps not only to react to present crises, but also to prepare societies for the threats and opportunities involved in future ones.
  4. Emphasize how the humanities may contribute to the escalation or, equally, to the de-escalation and resolving of crises.

Project team: Composed of at least four and maximum six Principal Investigators, i.e. partners, eligible to receive funding from four or more different countries participating in the call.

Award: Up to € 1,500,000 across all partners. Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023 (Outline Stage); 26 March 2024 (Full Application)
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: 24 October 2023
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: 8 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Nuffield Foundation - Research, Development and Analysis Fund

Summary: This scheme supports projects that improve the design and operation of social policy, especially in domains of education, welfare and justice. Preference is given to projects that:

  • identify and explain the social and economic determinants of opportunity and risk across the life span, focusing in particular on early childhood adversity, transitions from adolescence to young adulthood, and social and economic well-being in adulthood and later life;
  • improve well-being for society as a whole, while ameliorating negative outcomes and informing the foundations of and pathways towards a just and inclusive society;
  • support the development of workable evidence-based solutions for policy and practice over the medium term.

Projects normally have a duration between six months to three years.

Award: Between £10,000 and £3 million, but most are worth between £50,000 and £300,000. For the September round the Foundation will consider grant sizes up to £750,000.
Deadline: 11 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Nuffield Foundation - Addressing the Growing SEND Challenge

Summary: As the number of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) grows, the Foundation will fund research to improve people's experiences with specialist provision in schools across in the UK.

We are currently funding research on special educational needs and disabilities with projects that:

Award: For the September round the Foundation will consider grant sizes up to £750,000.
Deadline: 11 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Invitation to tender - Measurement of social and cultural infrastructure

Summary: The British Academy is commissioning a major new research element as part of its work theme on social and cultural infrastructure. The research will investigate how social and cultural infrastructure can be measured, and so enable a better articulation of its purpose, presence, scale and value.

Social and cultural infrastructure refers to the spaces, services and structures that support the quality of life of a nation, region, city or local community. These spaces, services and structures bring people together and strengthen the social and cultural fabric of communities.

The overarching research questions are:

  • What are the key features of social and cultural infrastructure that can and should be measured in order to more fully demonstrate its purpose, presence, scale and value?
  • How can this measurement be represented and operationalised in ways that enable policymakers and others to easily understand social and cultural infrastructure in ways that can directly inform policy decisions?

The research should seek to incorporate nuance, breadth and multi-layered thinking, partly through reflecting the depth and breadth of insight from across the SHAPE disciplines.

We envisage that this research commission will divide into distinct stages, as set out below:

1) defining parameters for the task

2) developing the measurement framework and any associated pilot testing that might be feasible

Award: Up to £100,000 (excluding VAT). The research project must begin in October 2023 and the final research report is expected to be delivered by end of August 2024.
Deadline: 20 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme 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 in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research. A Visiting Professorship may last for between 3 and 12 months, and tenures of 6 months or more can be spread over 2 or more visits.
Award: Between £10,000 and £150,000
Deadline: 5 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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: £400,000
Deadline: 5 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme – Route A: Researcher-led

Summary: The British Academy is inviting applications for funding for researcher-led Innovation Fellowships (Route A), through which applicants must apply with a partner which they have identified. 

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. These Fellowships will forge innovative place-based partnerships to create new intellectual, cultural, community and economic opportunities that will address key societal challenges. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • developing new approaches for supporting innovation across the economy, regions, and society;
  • contributing to and leading on challenges targeted at increasing links with industry and business, broadly defined;
  • improving direct connection of researchers with policymakers, leaders and innovators at local and regional levels.

Award: Up to £120,000. The Lead Applicant must commit between 0.4 and 0.8 FTE. Project duration is between 6–12 months.
Deadline: 11 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Knowledge Frontiers: International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2024

Summary: The purpose of each project will be to develop new international interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences. Research may be problem-focused, creatively innovative and exploratory, and should bring together relevant disciplines in both the humanities and social sciences, where appropriate, for maximum impact/effect. The Academy requires all applications to fundamentally involve and integrate both the humanities and the social sciences.

The aim of this call is to support international collaborations between early career researchers in the UK and elsewhere on internationally focused research projects of an interdisciplinary nature involving the humanities AND social sciences. Other than this framing of international interdisciplinary research led by early career researchers, the research itself can be focused on any issue or topic. There are no themes to this call. It is open to any research focus if it meets the international interdisciplinary focus.

Award: Awards of 24 months in duration and up to £300,000. Funding can be used to support the time of the Principal Investigator and Co-Applicants; postdoctoral (or equivalent) research assistance; travel, fieldwork and related expenses; and networking costs. Awards are offered on an 80% full economic costing basis. Projects must begin in March/April 2024.
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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.

This is a new programme for the British Academy and in this pilot phase we are delighted to be offering opportunities for Global Innovation Fellowship award holders to embed themselves and be based in the office of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin.

Applications are invited in any of the following areas:

  • Technology and International Affairs.
  • Global Order and Disorder
  • Eastern and South-eastern Europe.
  • Sustainability, Nature & Climate.

Award: The Academy is offering up to three 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%).
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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.

This is a new programme for the British Academy and in this pilot phase we are delighted to be offering opportunities for Global Innovation Fellowship award holders to embed themselves and be based in the offices of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The aim is to have a mutually beneficial partnership between the fellowship award holder and Carnegie 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. 

Applications are invited in any of the following five areas:

  • Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics.
  • Technology and International Affairs.
  • Democracy, Conflict & Governance.
  • Global Order and Institutions.
  • Nuclear Policy.

Award: The Academy is offering up to three one-year fellowships hosted in Carnegie’s offices in the USA (Washington DC or California). These are offered as awards for up to £150,000 for 12 months in duration (with Full Economic Costing at 80%).
Deadline: 1 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

British Academy Small Research Grant

Summary: The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. Funds are available to facilitate initial project planning and development; to support the direct costs of research; and to enable the advancement of research through workshops or conferences, or visits by or to partner scholars. Grants are tenable for a between 1 and 24 months.
Award: Up to £10,000
Deadline: 8 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship

Summary: The BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships are intended to enable established scholars, needing relief from teaching and administration, to have the time to bring to completion a significant piece of research, through sustained period of leave for one year.
Award: The salary of a replacement lecturer.
Deadline: 16 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards

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. Projects are usually 8 years in duration, but may be less for some disciplines and may only be longer if held on a part-time basis.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 16 November 2023
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 16 April 2024
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £2 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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.

All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis until 4 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Cambridge Africa ALBORADA Research Fund 2023

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 institution and sub-Saharan African institutions, across all disciplines, to initiate and/or strengthen research collaborations. For this round, we may be able to consider applications from North Africa.
 
The Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund competitively awards grants 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)

Award: Between £1,000 and £20,000.
Deadline: 04 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: alboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk

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.
Award: Up to £2,000.
Deadline: 05 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: publicengagement@admin.cam.ac.uk

Keynes Fund

Summary: The Keynes Fund supports 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 encourages 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.
Award: Standard grants up to £50,000; Large grants in excess of £50,000.
Deadline: 29 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Marion Reusch, Keynes Fund Administrator, keynes-fund@econ.cam.ac.uk

Vice Chancellors Awards for Research Impact and Engagement

Summary: Organised by the Public Engagement Team and the Research Strategy Impact Team, these awards recognise outstanding achievement, innovation and creativity in devising and implementing ambitious engagement and impact plans which have the potential to create significant impact from and engagement with, research.

Deadline: 05 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: publicengagement@admin.cam.ac.uk

The Impact and Innovation of Research

Summary: Have you ever wondered how your research might have impact on the world beyond the academy? Join us at our upcoming gathering ‘The impact and innovation of research’ which will offer a unique opportunity to delve into the invaluable insights and experiences of esteemed academics who have effectively translated their work into real-world impact.

Topics covered include:

  • What impact is and how it relates to research
  • Pathways and routes to Impact
  • How research underpins real-world impact
  • How to define an audience
  • What success looks like

Time: 15:30 
Date: 19 October 2023
Register here

AHSS Bulletin July 2023

 

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

July 2022

 

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

 

Enable discovery and use of UK census 2021/2 data: outline stage

Summary: The aim of the opportunity is to enable the use of UK census 2021/2 data for excellent social science-led research.

Within the constraints of time and budget; the opportunity pursues the following outcomes:

  • services are in place to support researchers who wish to use UK census 2021/2 data for social science-led research
  • tools and research-ready datasets that enable research with census data have been created
  • researchers are more aware of the wide variety of census data that will become available and understand how to access and maximise their use of it
  • researchers are more aware of the services and support (including training) that is available

This funding opportunity relates to census data produced by the 2021 censuses in England and Wales, and in Northern Ireland; and by the 2022 census in Scotland. This data includes:

  • aggregate and individual-level census data
  • census data linked to other sources of data (including government administrative data)
  • census data linked longitudinally, including through the existing census longitudinal studies

We encourage projects that take a UK-wide approach. However, projects that do not cover all UK nations or regions are within scope: this should be justified in your outline application.

Award: Up to £500,000 fEC, funded at 80%.
Deadline: 8 August 2023 (outline stage); TBA November 2023 (full application stage by invitation)
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Social sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy (SHAPE) Catalyst

Summary: The SHAPE Catalyst will run from 2023 to 2026. Working in partnership with the ARC Accelerator, we will be looking for individuals or teams with innovative, ambitious ideas from arts, humanities and social sciences disciplines that can sustain economic or non-economic impact through the commercialisation of research.

The ESRC and AHRC SHAPE Catalyst is delivered in partnership with the ARC Accelerator, run by Aspect. ARC will use their four-stage programme, the ARC Pathway, to guide arts, humanities and social scientists on the SHAPE commercialisation journey.

Award: £62,000 funded at 80% of the full economic cost and a unique package of expert-led training and dedicated mentors to help you build ventures from your research and deliver impact at scale.
Deadline: 31 August 2023 (Expression of Interest deadline); 15 October (Full Stage Application deadline)
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Research climate and cultural heritage with international partners

Summary: Apply for funding to research climate and cultural heritage and tackle urgent challenges with international partners. This funding opportunity aims to:

  • support transdisciplinary and convergent research approaches on cultural heritage and climate change
  • foster collaboration among the research community across several regions
  • contribute to knowledge advances and policy change at the global level

You are invited to submit research proposals that should address at least one of the three funding opportunity themes:

  • the impact of climate change on cultural heritage
  • cultural heritage as a resource for climate mitigation and adaptation
  • sustainable solutions for heritage

Full details of each theme can be found on the Belmont Forum website.

Award: Up to EUR 250,000 for UK elements of the project, funded by the AHRC at 80% of the full economic cost.
Deadline: 08 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

Equitable nature-based climate resilience in Sub-Saharan Africa

Summary: Apply for funding to enhance understanding of scalability and contextualisation of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Working in transdisciplinary teams, including SSA partners, you will explore opportunities for equitable nature-based climate resilience.

All projects must involve partners based in SSA as a project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)).

Award: Up to £2.25 million FEC, funded at 80%, with certain international partner costs at 100%.
Deadline: 13 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

Design Exchange Partnerships: design the green transition round two

Summary: Apply for funding to develop design-led solutions to address specific challenges facing biodiversity in the UK.

We welcome broad interpretations of the theme of biodiversity, including but not limited to one or more of the following areas:

  • natural resources
  • materials
  • land or marine use
  • health and wellbeing
  • regeneration and planning

Award: Up to £62,500 for six months or £125,000 for 12 months, plus a five to 10% contribution from the non-academic partner organisation. AHRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost.
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: follow-on funding for impact and engagement

Summary: The proposed activities should enhance the value and wider benefit of your original research project, and have a significant economic, social, cultural or policy impact.

The follow-on funding for impact and engagement aims to:

  • explore unforeseen pathways to impact either within the lifespan of an AHRC research project or resulting from a completed research project
  • enhance the value and benefits of AHRC-funded research beyond academia
  • encourage and enable a range of interactions and creative engagements 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

Award: Up to £100,000 FEC funded at 80% for project duration up to 12 months. Smaller awards of up to £30,000 (full economic cost) are encouraged for shorter, higher risk activities, for example the feasibility of an idea, exploring new partnerships for knowledge exchange, testing the market or investigating a new business model. Decision making times are reduced for these smaller awards.
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC responsive mode: standard research grant

Summary: AHRC standard research grants support collaborative research projects that require leadership from more than one scholar.

You must include a principal investigator and at least one co-investigator jointly involved in the development and management of the project and co-authored research outputs.

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 etc.
  • researchers working in other sectors
  • researchers based abroad

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

We expect the principal investigator and any co-investigators to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1,500,000 FEC funded at 80% for a project duration up to 60 months. 
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

T-AP funding opportunity on democracy, governance and trust

Summary: We invite interdisciplinary (understood here as the integration of information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, methodologies, concepts, or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialised knowledge) and innovative research proposals that promise advances in one or several of the following ways:

  • improve and innovate our conceptualisation and theorisation of DGT
  • address topics aimed at collective responses to global challenges for DGT
  • empirically define and describe the opportunities, challenges and crises relevant to DGT from a historical, contemporary, or prospective perspective
  • offer diverse methodological, disciplinary, and cross-national perspectives on these topics
  • study or test interventions (meaning improving outcomes and making a difference) aimed at enhancing democratic processes, improving governance, and rebuilding trust in formal and informal political systems, economic structures, cultural associations, education and public institutions
  • advance knowledge through co-developing work programmes with communities, educators, and key stakeholders in civil society, education and government
  • examine the role of digital media, tools, and technologies in eroding or strengthening DGT and the roles of education, cultural institutions and the law in shaping, facilitating and restraining this role of digital media

These objectives aim to leverage expertise from social sciences and humanities, and relevant related disciplines, to tackle prominent challenges facing societies today. They may make use of theoretical and empirical insights and recognise the value of co-production and practice fostering initiatives and projects conducive to supporting democratic experimentations and experiences, governance improvements and trust.

Award: Between £300,000 and £400,000 FEC funded at 80%. Projects start in September 2024 and will last 24 to 36 months. 
Deadline: 15 September 2023 (Notice of intention to apply deadline); 6 November 2023 (Full application deadline).
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Enhancing Well-Begin for the Future

Summary: Apply for funding to conduct innovative social science research across Europe, on the topic of 'enhancing wellbeing for the future'.

Project teams must be composed of at least four and maximum six  different European countries eligible to receive funding from the funding opportunity.

Award: Maximum funding per project for UK components is EUR 541,025 FEC funded at 80%. Maximum funding per project across all country components is EUR 1.5 million.  Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

International consortia for humanities-led research on crisis

Summary: Apply for funding to establish humanities-led transnational research consortia to explore crises past and present, responding to major social, cultural, and political challenges facing Europe and the world.

Each consortia must include at least four principal investigators eligible for Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) funding.

Award: The UK component of projects can have a full economic cost of up to £500,000, funded at 80%. Projects will last 24 to 36 months, starting between December 2024 and March 2025.
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

ESRC responsive mode: working with Luxembourg researchers round one

Summary: This opportunity funds work with researchers in Luxembourg. Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UKRI and FNR. You can submit collaborative research proposals in any area of social sciences within the remit of both ESRC and FNR.
Award: The UK part of the project can range from £350,000 to £1,000,000, funded at 80%. FNR will pay all justified costs for Luxembourg submitted through their system.
Deadline: 28 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

ESRC responsive mode: secondary data analysis round one

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 the 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.

Award: Up to £300,000, funded at 80%.
Deadline: 28 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Understanding geohazard processes and their impacts across India

Summary: Building resilience to geohazards presents a major challenge that requires collaborative international action by researchers, policymakers, governments, private sectors, and civil societies.

The Understanding geohazard processes and their impacts across India programme will fund interdisciplinary research that:

  • seeks to understand the contextual fundamental physics of earthquake and landslide processes behind geohazard events in India and its neighbouring countries
  • explores the social, cultural and environmental impacts of cascading geohazards within India and its neighbouring countries in order to enhance environmental and community resilience at the local, regional and national scale by devising novel risk reduction and mitigation strategies

It is expected that project teams will need to incorporate researchers from a range of disciplines.

Projects should further understanding of and address knowledge gaps in the fundamental properties and physics of earthquake and landslide processes through appropriate methods.

Research should be informed by local knowledge and understanding of disaster events. Projects should therefore employ a participatory approach from the outset in order to co-develop tools and approaches with local communities, that will have direct impact on the ground.

Award: Up to £1,000,000, funded at 80%. Matched funding will be available from the Ministry of Earth Sciences, India. 
Deadline: 03 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Penner

BRAID: Ecosystem Scoping to Embed Responsible AI in Context

Summary: Funding to support projects that will undertake scoping and preparation work, building partnerships and mapping parts of the AI ecosystem that could be the focus of a future responsible AI demonstrator project.

All proposals must clearly outline the rationale for their chosen context, including why a deeper understanding of what ‘responsible AI’ means in that context is important, and who would benefit from it. When thinking about the project’s outcomes, you should consider:

  • the potential for adoption and translation of existing responsible AI research, tools and practices into this context (for example, algorithmic audits, impact assessments, red-teaming exercises, model cards, ethics review boards)
  • the potential for new responsible AI knowledge, tools or practices to be developed in this context, or adapted for this AI context from other domains or histories
  • the barriers, opportunities and incentives to Responsible AI in this context
  • the network of actors, stakeholders, powers and interests in this context
  • achievable goals and action-guiding criteria for Responsible AI in this context

Note we expect funded projects to explore at least three of these.

Award: Between £187,500 to £312,500 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 05 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: AHRC responsive mode: 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 scheme is intentionally flexible. An indicative list of examples of the activities we will fund are provided below. 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 / 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

NB: this is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list.

Projects can last up to five years in duration. The earliest permissible start date is 1 March 2024.

Award: Up to £100,000 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 19 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: AHRC responsive mode: 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 and/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.

Projects can last up to five years in duration. The earliest permissible start date is 1 June 2024.

Award: Between £100,000–£300,000 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 19 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Creating Opportunities Evaluation Development Fund

Summary: The Creating Opportunities Development Evaluation Fund is aimed at enabling the research and innovation community to test interventions on the ground, primarily using robust counterfactual impact evaluation methods. In doing so, grant holders will help address gaps and weaknesses in the existing evidence base underpinning the thematic areas covered by the UKRI creating opportunities, improving outcomes strategic theme.

This fund will support small-scale evaluation activity that is focused on tackling persistent local and regional inequalities within the UK. Awards will last up to 12 months.

Award: Between £100,000 and £250,000 funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: 31 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Creating Opportunities Trial Accelerator Fund

Summary:  The UKRI Creating Opportunities Trial Accelerator Fund is aimed at enabling the research and innovation community to test interventions that will spread opportunities and reduce spatial disparities in economic, health and social outcomes for people and places across the UK by using, primarily, robust counterfactual impact evaluation methods.

In doing so, grant holders will help address gaps and weaknesses in the existing evidence base underpinning the thematic areas covered by the UKRI “Creating Opportunities, Improving Outcomes” strategic theme.

Objectives
The overarching objectives are to:

  • generate causal evidence on what works to spread opportunities and reduce spatial disparities in outcomes for people and places across the UK
  • accelerate the development of innovative and ethical methods for robustly testing and evaluating the impact of interventions related to the thematic areas outlined below
  • build the capacity of the research and innovation system to forge interdisciplinary collaborations and lasting partnerships with local communities (including those with lived experience) in designing and delivering robust research trials and related evaluation activity
  • provide actionable evidence that responds to the needs of decision makers and informs policy or practice at a local, regional, national, or international scale

Award: Between £1 million and £2.5 million funded at 80% fEC. Projects should last between 13 and 48 months.
Deadline: 31 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Research the social sciences in the Open Research Area

Summary:  Apply for funding for international research in any area of the social sciences.

Your project must be a collaboration between researchers based in at least three of the participating countries:

  • UK
  • France
  • Germany
  • Canada

You may also seek partnerships with researchers based in Japan.

SSHRC will coordinate this funding opportunity.

Award: Between £200,000 and £600,000 fEC, funded at 80% by ESRC. The other research councils will fund: ANR: Up to EUR 450,00; DFG: no maximum limit; SSHR: up to $600,000 (maximum $200,000 per year). Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 14 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Pre-announcement: ADR UK Research Fellowships 2023

Summary: Applications must make use of ADR England flagship linked datasets, held in the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service or other ADR UK trusted research environments. These datasets are detailed in the ADR England flagship dataset brochure (PDF, 1.5MB), which will be updated when the funding opportunity opens for applications on 5 July 2023.

We are looking for fellowship proposals that meet the following four objectives:

  • useful research: proposals that will act as ‘pathfinders’ for conducting research and deriving insights from the dataset, and which showcase the potential for policy impact and public benefit
  • useful data: proposals that will develop the data as a useful research resource for future users
  • useful engagement: proposals that will foster opportunities between academia, government, the third sector and the public to allow fresh thinking to flourish and maintain public acceptance of the use of data for research purposes
  • community building: proposals that will greatly boost the applicant’s development as a research leader in their field and include activities promoting the development of a wider community around a particular dataset or theme

Award: Up to £175,000 funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 18 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Pre-announcement: population health improvement network of clusters

Summary: Apply for funding to lead a population health improvement research cluster.

For the purposes of this funding opportunity a research cluster is a group of interdisciplinary researchers working together to address an important population health challenge.

Up to 7 research clusters will be funded, each addressing a separate yet complementary challenge. Together they will form an interdisciplinary network, which will generate research to improve the health of communities across the UK, reduce health inequalities, and develop and evaluate effective, long-lasting and environmentally sustainable interventions.

Award: Between £5 million to £7 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of 48 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update

UKRI Guarantee Guidance
The scope of UKRI’s Horizon Europe Guarantee Funding has been extended. It now covers all eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe calls with final submission deadlines on or before 30th September 2023. Previously, it covered Horizon Europe calls with a final submission deadline on or before 31st March 2023.

Other updates introduced include i) additional notes on associated partner obligations (page 6 of guidance) and ii) revision to IFS post-award monitoring (Q&A question 8). These updates and their implications will be reviewed by EU and International Team and communicated in due course.
 
Future applications: The UK is still eligible to apply for EU funding and applications made through Cambridge must still apply as if the UK is already an Associated Country.  This is because:
The EC states in the General Annexes (page 7) “…third countries negotiating association to Horizon Europe will be treated as entities established in an Associated Country…”  
Applicants will not be eligible for the UK government funding if they are unable demonstrate that the sole reason they need funding is because the UK’s association has not been completed by the time the grant agreement needs to be signed – see page 4 in the Guidance.

Updates on Association: Please visit the Research Operation Office’s EU pages

Horizon Europe Main Work Programme

This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 

Highlighted notices:

Integration of socio-ecological models into the Digital Twin Ocean 
HORIZON-MISS-2023-OCEAN-01-08
Deadline: 20 September 2023

Facilitating strategic cooperation to ensure the provision of essential services 
HORIZON-CL3-2023-INFRA-01-01
Deadline: 20 November 2023

Environmental impacts of food systems 
HORIZON-CL6-2024-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-3
Deadline: 22 February 2024 

ERC Proof of Concept Grants

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research, 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. Proof of Concept Grants are therefore on offer only to Principal Investigators whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.
Award: up to € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Crisis: Perspectives from the Humanities

Summary: The Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) Network in collaboration with CHANSE (Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe) have launched a new Joint Research Programme “Crisis – Perspectives from the Humanities” (Crisis Call). 

By launching the Crisis Call, the national funding organisations involved want to create opportunities for humanities-led, collaborative, transnational research that will result in new academic insights relevant to major social, cultural, and political challenges facing Europe and the world. The aim of the programme is fourfold. It will:

  1. Provide, from a humanities perspective, new knowledge and understanding of the origins, sources and causes of the major philosophical, cultural, social, economic, religious, political and environmental crises that Europe and the world faced in the past and are facing today.
  2. Highlight the complex role of cultural and social practices in shaping responses to crises but also, sometimes, in creating these, be it today or in the past, and will help us to understand whether and, if so, how cultural traditions problematize the notion of crisis as a fundamental and critical moment for society and for communities.
  3. Explore the impact of culture in shaping resilience in the face of crises. Culture helps not only to react to present crises, but also to prepare societies for the threats and opportunities involved in future ones.
  4. Emphasize how the humanities may contribute to the escalation or, equally, to the de-escalation and resolving of crises.

Project team: Composed of at least four and maximum six Principal Investigators, i.e. partners, eligible to receive funding from four or more different countries participating in the call.

Award: Up to € 1,500,000 across all partners. Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023 (Outline Stage); 26 March 2024 (Full Application)
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 25 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards

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. Projects are usually 8 years in duration, but may be less for some disciplines and may only be longer if held on a part-time basis.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 27 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Towns Web Archiving Digitisation Grant

Summary: Any UK-based digitisation project, provided in the form of TownsWeb Archiving’s digitisation and software services of equivalent value. Funding covers the digitisation of:

Bound Volume Collections

  • Diaries & Minute Books
  • Journals & Magazine
  • Manuscripts
  • Newspapers
  • Photograph Albums & Scrapbooks
  • Published Books & Thesis
  • Registers & Personal Records

Archive Collections

  • Index Cards
  • Report & Letters (Loose Items)
  • Rolls & Parchment

Photograph Collections

  • 35mm Slides & Film Strips
  • Glass Plates & Lantern Slides
  • Negatives & Transparencies
  • Photographs

Part of the grant may be used to fund:

  • Transcription of metadata
  • OCR (optical character recognition) data capture

Award: TWA will fund three grants of £3,000 and up to £1,000 in matching funding for all other eligible applicants.
Deadline: 28 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

British Academy Mid-Career Fellowships

Summary: The awards support outstanding individual researchers and outstanding communicators who will promote public engagement and understanding of the humanities and social sciences. Applicants will be asked in their proposal to set out specific plans for the dissemination of their research to a broad audience, in addition to publication in the usual academic press and journals. Awards will be judged both on the excellence of the research proposed and on the capacity of the applicant to communicate with a broad audience.
Award: Salary contribution capped at £80,000 and the total value of the award up to £152,000 fEC.
Deadline: 23 August 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Nuffield Foundation - Research, Development and Analysis Fund

Summary: This scheme supports projects that improve the design and operation of social policy, especially in domains of education, welfare and justice. Preference is given to projects that:

  • identify and explain the social and economic determinants of opportunity and risk across the life span, focusing in particular on early childhood adversity, transitions from adolescence to young adulthood, and social and economic well-being in adulthood and later life;
  • improve well-being for society as a whole, while ameliorating negative outcomes and informing the foundations of and pathways towards a just and inclusive society;
  • support the development of workable evidence-based solutions for policy and practice over the medium term.

Projects normally have a duration between six months to three years.

Award: Between £10,000 and £3 million, but most are worth between £50,000 and £300,000. For the September round the Foundation will consider grant sizes up to £750,000.
Deadline: 11 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Nuffield Foundation - Addressing the Growing SEND Challenge

Summary: As the number of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) grows, the Foundation will fund research to improve people's experiences with specialist provision in schools across in the UK.

We are currently funding research on special educational needs and disabilities with projects that:

Award: For the September round the Foundation will consider grant sizes up to £750,000.
Deadline: 11 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Talent Development Awards

Summary: The Talent Development Awards are available to promote the acquisition and advancement of skills in relevant areas by UK-based researchers, promoting innovative research methods, be that through skills development, collaboration or dissemination. These awards are provided to promote the building of skills and capacities for current and future generations, including in core areas like quantitative skills, interdisciplinarity, data science, digital humanities and languages.
Award: Up to £10,000. A mininum period of 6 months and up to a maximum period of 12 months.
Deadline: 13 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Leverhulme 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 in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research. A Visiting Professorship may last for between 3 and 12 months, and tenures of 6 months or more can be spread over 2 or more visits.
Award: Between £10,000 and £150,000
Deadline: 5 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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: £400,000
Deadline: 5 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme – Route A: Researcher-led

Summary: The British Academy is inviting applications for funding for researcher-led Innovation Fellowships (Route A), through which applicants must apply with a partner which they have identified. 

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. These Fellowships will forge innovative place-based partnerships to create new intellectual, cultural, community and economic opportunities that will address key societal challenges. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • developing new approaches for supporting innovation across the economy, regions, and society;
  • contributing to and leading on challenges targeted at increasing links with industry and business, broadly defined;
  • improving direct connection of researchers with policymakers, leaders and innovators at local and regional levels.

Award: Up to £120,000. The Lead Applicant must commit between 0.4 and 0.8 FTE. Project duration is between 6–12 months.
Deadline: 11 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

British Academy Small Research Grant

Summary: The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. Funds are available to facilitate initial project planning and development; to support the direct costs of research; and to enable the advancement of research through workshops or conferences, or visits by or to partner scholars. Grants are tenable for a between 1 and 24 months.
Award: Up to £10,000
Deadline: 8 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship

Summary: The BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships are intended to enable established scholars, needing relief from teaching and administration, to have the time to bring to completion a significant piece of research, through sustained period of leave for one year.
Award: The salary of a replacement lecturer.
Deadline: 16 November 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £2 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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.

All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis until 4 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Collections – Connections – Communities Participatory Research Funding 2023

Summary: This initiative seeks to catalyse research and collaborations around the University’s Collections, which are currently underutilised for both research and societal benefit. The CCC is focused on three research themes:

  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Society & Identity
  • Environment & Sustainability

These are supported by three underpinning methodology strands: Evaluation & Policy, Physical & Virtual, and Participation & Equity.

Award: Up to £10,000 per project (or £15,000 if between multiple collections and/or supported by additional institutional support).
Deadline: 31 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Sophie Potter

University Funding for Impact Projects - AHRC Impact Acceleration Account

Summary: The University of Cambridge AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) (previously the Arts and Humanities Impact Fund, or AHIF) is pleased to announce that three project calls are now open:  

  1.  IAA Impact Fund Call – open to all eligible permanent members of staff working within the AHRC remit
  2.  AHRC IAA Early Career Researcher Call – open to all ECRs (such as JRFs, BA/Leverhulme fellows) working within the AHRC remit.  
  3.  IAA Rapid Response Call (Rolling) – for interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

All interested applicants are strongly encouraged contact Dr Lucy Sheerman (the AHRC IAA Coordinator) to discuss their proposal before application. 
Award: Between £5,000 and £15,000.
Deadline: 14 August 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: AHImpact@admin.cam.ac.uk   

Cambridge Africa ALBORADA Research Fund 2023

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 institution and sub-Saharan African institutions, across all disciplines, to initiate and/or strengthen research collaborations. For this round, we may be able to consider applications from North Africa.
 
The Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund competitively awards grants 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)

Award: Between £1,000 and £20,000.
Deadline: 04 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: alboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk

Keynes Fund

Summary: The Keynes Fund supports 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 encourages 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.
Award: Standard grants up to £50,000; Large grants in excess of £50,000.
Deadline: 29 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Marion Reusch, Keynes Fund Administrator, keynes-fund@econ.cam.ac.uk

 

 

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.

 

AHSS Bulletin June 2023

 

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

June 2023

 

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

 

Developing innovative approaches to gender-based violence

Summary: Collaborate with international partners to explore ways in which social violence, specifically sex and gender-based violence (GBV) manifests and can be addressed using arts and humanities-led interdisciplinary approaches.

Projects will seek to understand the drivers behind GBV to develop methods of prevention, safeguarding and behavioural change.

Award: Up to £400,000 for a period of 36 months, starting 1 February 2023. UK-based researchers and costs funded at 80% fEC; International Co-I costs funded at 100% fEC. 
Deadline: 27 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

AHRC Networking Grants

Summary: The grant aims to stimulate new debate and exchange of ideas between researchers and stakeholders on a specified thematic area or issue, by covering the costs for workshops, seminars, networking activities or other events.

*Please note that this is the final deadline to submit on Je-S. More information on new AHRC funding schemes will be available soon.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a period of 24 months. Additional funding up to £15,000 to cover any international activities.
Deadline: 29 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Director of population health improvement network of clusters

Summary: Apply to lead, coordinate, and manage the UKRI population health improvement network of research clusters (as described below).

The director will assemble a team consisting of:

  • director
  • senior network manager
  • communications manager
  • administrative assistant

The team will work closely with the leads of each of the population health improvement research clusters. The director will also manage a collaboration and innovation fund to facilitate cross cluster working, pilot work (through an internal competitive process) and enhanced training opportunities.

Award: Up to £1 million FEC, funded at 80% over 4.5 years
Deadline: 30 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Land use for net zero – research (LUNZ-Research)

Summary: Apply for funding for research projects to develop the UK’s capacity and capability for transforming land use, soil health and agriculture. Your research must contribute to achieving net zero while meeting other environmental and societal goals.

This funding opportunity is for transdisciplinary, high-impact innovative research projects as part of the ‘Transforming land use for net zero, nature and people’ programme.
Award: Between £2.5 million and £4.5 million funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: 11 July 2023, expression of interest deadline; 18 October 2023, full application deadline.
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Collaborative community research to tackle health inequalities

Summary: Collaborative grants will support high quality innovative research addressing the programme objectives, with interdisciplinary collaborations creating critical mass and expertise. They should be a national focal point for research in the chosen research area.

In addition to carrying out high quality research, collaborative grants will build capability and capacity in addressing the community assets and health inequalities challenge. They will attract new expertise to the field either through applying existing strengths to the research area, or through development of early career researchers, and partners from outside of academia.

Objectives:

Collaborative research grants funded through this funding opportunity will work towards meeting the following programme objectives:

  • to develop testable and replicable collaborative models for integrating community assets within the changing structures of health and social care in the UK, by understanding the complexities, barriers and enablers of integration
  • to explain the links between these community assets and place-based health inequalities with a view to creating healthier, and more resilient, communities and environments, particularly for people living in the most deprived areas
  • to converge data and learning from a range of local and regional models to inform the spread and adoption of collaborative models across the UK

Your application should be highly collaborative and have a strong focus on real world impact.

Award: Between £625,000 and £2.5 million for 36 months, funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: 11 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Resilient UK coastal communities and seas: Outline Stage

Summary: Apply for funding to enhance the resilience, health and wellbeing of UK coastal communities and seas. Funded projects will: 

  • apply place-based approaches seeking to transform our understanding of climatic, environmental, health, economic, social, and cultural factors affecting coastal communities and seas
  • support the resilient management of UK coastal seas, coastal communities, and the natural capital these areas support by delivering the evidence base, tools and practical solutions needed to inform policy and apply transformative decision making, in collaboration with communities
  • build capacity and capability for transdisciplinary research and the mobilisation of research evidence within coastal communities and seas.

Award: Between £2.5 million and £3 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 54 months. Projects must begin 1 April 2024.
Deadline: 13 July 2023, Outline Stage; TBA October 2023, Full Applications Stage.
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

XRtists: supporting the implementation of immersive technologies

Summary: AHRC and all four UK national arts development bodies want to commission a consortium to develop and deliver a new three-year creative research and development innovation programme, XRtists. This builds on the learning and successes of the CreativeXR, and Creative Industries Clusters programmes.

The programme will support the adoption and implementation of creative immersive technologies, and where appropriate other new technologies with the potential to influence the development of creative practice within the arts and culture sector across the UK.

Projects must start on 1 February 2024. The maximum project duration is 36 months.

Award: Up to £6 million. The AHRC will fund non-exceptional costs at 80% FEC and exceptions (including devolved funding) at 100% FEC.
Deadline: 13 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Place-based approaches to sustainable living

Summary: Apply for funding to deliver interdisciplinary research on place-based approaches for an environmentally sustainable future, which will enable enhanced evidence-based decision making.

Proposals submitted to this opportunity will need to meet the following requirements to be eligible:

  • an interdisciplinary, innovative approach to addressing place-based challenges, which delivers impactful systems-based solutions
  • a co-produced approach to place-based issues, which identifies mechanisms for wider impact through community engagement and provision for building capacity and capability in communities and with networks at different scales.
  • potential to deliver transformative change through theoretical or practical solutions to address issues at a local level and potential to scale up
  • be able to provide actionable knowledge throughout and beyond the lifetime of the grant
  • smart use of data, recontextualising existing data and new research, where appropriate
  • include interventions that consider wider impact, for example intersectionality, spill-over effects, co-benefits and potential impacts for people, nature and environments

Award: Up to £2 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of 60 months, beginning 1 April 2024.
Deadline: 13 July 2023 (Outline Stage); TBA December 2023 (Full application stage)
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Deliver Foundations for a Transformation in Digital Footprint Data

Summary: Apply for funding to undertake innovative research and proof of concept work to transform how digital footprint data (DFD) is created, accessed and used for the public good.
Award: Up to £500,000 funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 12 months.
Deadline: 20 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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).

 

UKRI cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme: round 1

Summary: Apply for funding for breakthrough interdisciplinary ideas that transcend, combine or significantly span disciplines.

This pilot scheme will support ideas not routinely funded through existing UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) responsive mode schemes.

Awards will be potentially transformative for the participating disciplines or lead to the creation of new disciplines.

Award: Between £200,000 and £1,200,000 funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 24 months.
Deadline: 20 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Building a Secure and Resilient World: Research and Coordination Hub – UKRI

Summary: Building a Secure and Resilient World (BSRW) will take a systemic approach that is human-centred, aimed at strengthening societal and economic resilience, and enhancing security across virtual and physical environments, by improving awareness of risks and threats, preparedness, informed decision-making and response.

The hub will coordinate and maximise the impact of the range of activities commissioned by UKRI ensuring an integrated approach throughout. It will be expected to lead, plan, deliver and manage a multidisciplinary programme of research and devolved funding opportunities in identified areas of knowledge and evidence gaps within the scope of URKI's strategic themes.

Projects must start 1 February 2024 and last 5 years in duration.

Award: Up to £5.5 million for coordination hub applications.
Deadline: 27 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

ESRC responsive mode: research grant round one

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.

Projects duration can be up to 60 months in duration.

Award: Between £350,000 and £1,000,000 FEC funded at 80%.
Deadline: 28 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Design Exchange Partnerships: design the green transition round two

Summary: Apply for funding to develop design-led solutions to address specific challenges facing biodiversity in the UK.

We welcome broad interpretations of the theme of biodiversity, including but not limited to one or more of the following areas:

  • natural resources
  • materials
  • land or marine use
  • health and wellbeing
  • regeneration and planning

Award: Up to £62,500 for six months or £125,000 for 12 months, plus a five to 10% contribution from the non-academic partner organisation. AHRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost.
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: AHRC responsive mode: follow-on funding for impact and engagement

Summary: The proposed activities should enhance the value and wider benefit of your original research project, and have a significant economic, social, cultural or policy impact.

The follow-on funding for impact and engagement aims to:

  • explore unforeseen pathways to impact either within the lifespan of an AHRC research project or resulting from a completed research project
  • enhance the value and benefits of AHRC-funded research beyond academia
  • encourage and enable a range of interactions and creative engagements 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

Award: Up to £100,000 FEC funded at 80% for project duration up to 12 months. Smaller awards of up to £30,000 (full economic cost) are encouraged for shorter, higher risk activities, for example the feasibility of an idea, exploring new partnerships for knowledge exchange, testing the market or investigating a new business model. Decision making times are reduced for these smaller awards.
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: AHRC responsive mode: standard research grant

Summary: AHRC standard research grants support collaborative research projects that require leadership from more than one scholar.

You must include a principal investigator and at least one co-investigator jointly involved in the development and management of the project and co-authored research outputs.

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 etc.
  • researchers working in other sectors
  • researchers based abroad

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

We expect the principal investigator and any co-investigators to devote an average of at least four hours per week to the project.

Award: Between £300,000 and £1,500,000 FEC funded at 80% for a project duration up to 60 months. 
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Enhancing Well-Begin for the Future

Summary: Apply for funding to conduct innovative social science research across Europe, on the topic of 'enhancing wellbeing for the future'.

Project teams must be composed of at least four and maximum six  different European countries eligible to receive funding from the funding opportunity.

Award: Maximum funding per project for UK components is EUR 541,025 FEC funded at 80%. Maximum funding per project across all country components is EUR 1.5 million.  Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Pre-announcement: AHRC responsive mode: 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 scheme is intentionally flexible. An indicative list of examples of the activities we will fund are provided below. 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 / 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

NB: this is not a prescriptive or exhaustive list.

Projects can last up to five years in duration. The earliest permissible start date is 1 March 2024.

Award: Up to £100,000 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 19 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: AHRC responsive mode: 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 and/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.

Projects can last up to five years in duration. The earliest permissible start date is 1 June 2024.

Award: Between £100,000–£300,000 FEC funded at 80%
Deadline: 19 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: ADR UK Research Fellowships 2023

Summary: Applications must make use of ADR England flagship linked datasets, held in the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service or other ADR UK trusted research environments. These datasets are detailed in the ADR England flagship dataset brochure (PDF, 1.5MB), which will be updated when the funding opportunity opens for applications on 5 July 2023.

We are looking for fellowship proposals that meet the following four objectives:

  • useful research: proposals that will act as ‘pathfinders’ for conducting research and deriving insights from the dataset, and which showcase the potential for policy impact and public benefit
  • useful data: proposals that will develop the data as a useful research resource for future users
  • useful engagement: proposals that will foster opportunities between academia, government, the third sector and the public to allow fresh thinking to flourish and maintain public acceptance of the use of data for research purposes
  • community building: proposals that will greatly boost the applicant’s development as a research leader in their field and include activities promoting the development of a wider community around a particular dataset or theme

Award: Up to £175,000 funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 18 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Pre-announcement: population health improvement network of clusters

Summary: Apply for funding to lead a population health improvement research cluster.

For the purposes of this funding opportunity a research cluster is a group of interdisciplinary researchers working together to address an important population health challenge.

Up to 7 research clusters will be funded, each addressing a separate yet complementary challenge. Together they will form an interdisciplinary network, which will generate research to improve the health of communities across the UK, reduce health inequalities, and develop and evaluate effective, long-lasting and environmentally sustainable interventions.

Award: Between £5 million to £7 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of 48 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: Creating Opportunities Evaluation Development Fund

Summary: The Creating Opportunities Development Evaluation Fund is aimed at enabling the research and innovation community to test interventions on the ground, primarily using robust counterfactual impact evaluation methods. In doing so, grant holders will help address gaps and weaknesses in the existing evidence base underpinning the thematic areas covered by the UKRI creating opportunities, improving outcomes strategic theme.

This fund will support small-scale evaluation activity that is focused on tackling persistent local and regional inequalities within the UK. Awards will last up to 12 months.

Award: Between £100,000 and £250,000 funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Pre-announcement: Creating Opportunities Trial Accelerator Fund

Summary: Apply for funding to test and rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at spreading opportunities and reducing disparities in economic, health and social outcomes for people and places across the UK.

Further details will become available in June 2023.

Award: Between £1 million and £2.5 million funded at 80% fEC. Projects should last between 13 and 48 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Pre-announcement: Dementia Network Plus

Summary: Networks will be collaborative, embed lived experience and include capacity building. We will fund activities that explore inequalities, prevention and early diagnosis, and experiences at work.

Networks will improve the lives of those affected by dementia by:

  • generating insights and building new capability
  • enabling a coherent and connected landscape across disciplines, stakeholders and sectors
  • informing policy, practice and understanding

Award: Between £1.25 and £1.75 million funded at 80% fEC. Projects should begin 1 April 2024 and last between 48 and 60 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Pre-announcement: Behavioural Science for Security and Defense Network Plus

Summary: Apply for funding to develop a Network Plus to enable new understanding of how individual and population level risks evolve and how security threats can be identified and mitigated..

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for ESRC funding. Your Network must be social science-led and at least 50% within ESRC’s remit.

The network is expected to:

  • generate insights into data driven methods of understanding and predicting security risks, threats and vulnerabilities
  • build new interdisciplinary capability in this area, linking existing and establishing new partnerships, bringing together new approaches and developing conceptual, methodological, theoretical and leadership skills
  • enable a coherent and connected landscape across disciplines, stakeholders and civil, homeland and national security sectors, by bridging existing structures, and by identifying needs through relationship building, co-creation, and sustained engagement
  • inform policy, practice and understanding through engaging with stakeholder needs and enabling insights to feed into development processes for security policy, practice and new research

The network should start on 1 April 2024 and run for 36 months.

Award: Between £3 and £3.56 million funded at 80% fEC
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Pre-announcement: ESRC Policy Talent Accelerator Network Plus

Summary: Develop a Network Plus to enhance the current sector offer and build new capabilities for ‘policy to research’ initiatives that facilitate policy makers engaging with research communities as part of their professional development.

Your Network is expected to:

  • generate insights into the current research and innovation sector offer
  • build new interdisciplinary capability and collaborations to i) strengthen the research and innovation sector’s current offer and ii) catalyse and diversify new offerings
  • enable a coherent accessible infrastructure across the sector
  • convene stakeholders and enhance coordination of opportunities
  • inform policy, practice and understanding through promotion and sharing of best practice

Your Network will start 1 April 2024 for 42 months, with a stage-gate within the first 6 months.

Award: Between £3.5 and £4.1 million funded at 80% fEC
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update

UKRI Guarantee Guidance
The scope of UKRI’s Horizon Europe Guarantee Funding was extended on 19th December 2022. It now covers all eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe calls with final submission deadlines on or before 31st March 2023. Previously, it covered Horizon Europe calls with a final submission deadline on or before 31st December 2022.

Other updates introduced include i) additional notes on associated partner obligations (page 6 of guidance) and ii) revision to IFS post-award monitoring (Q&A question 8). These updates and their implications will be reviewed by EU and International Team and communicated in due course.
 
Future applications: The UK is still eligible to apply for EU funding and applications made through Cambridge must still apply as if the UK is already an Associated Country.  This is because:
The EC states in the General Annexes (page 7) “…third countries negotiating association to Horizon Europe will be treated as entities established in an Associated Country…”  
Applicants will not be eligible for the UK government funding if they are unable demonstrate that the sole reason they need funding is because the UK’s association has not been completed by the time the grant agreement needs to be signed – see page 4 in the Guidance.

Updates on Association: Please visit the Research Operation Office’s EU pages.

 

Horizon Europe Main Work Programme

This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 

Highlighted notices:

Optimised and integrated wood-based value chains 
HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-IAFlag-01
Deadline: 20 September 2023

Strengthen economic fairness and resilience of active labour market policies and address high unemployment 
HORIZON-CL2-2024-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-02
Deadline: 04 October 2023

Circular solutions for textile value chains through innovative sorting, recycling, and design for recycling 
HORIZON-CL6-2024-CircBio-02-1-two-stage
Deadline: 22 February 2024 (First stage deadline); 17 September 2024 (Second stage deadline)

 

ERC Proof of Concept Grants

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research, 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. Proof of Concept Grants are therefore on offer only to Principal Investigators whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.
Award: up to € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Crisis: Perspectives from the Humanities

Summary: The Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) Network in collaboration with CHANSE (Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe) have launched a new Joint Research Programme “Crisis – Perspectives from the Humanities” (Crisis Call). 

By launching the Crisis Call, the national funding organisations involved want to create opportunities for humanities-led, collaborative, transnational research that will result in new academic insights relevant to major social, cultural, and political challenges facing Europe and the world. The aim of the programme is fourfold. It will:

  1. Provide, from a humanities perspective, new knowledge and understanding of the origins, sources and causes of the major philosophical, cultural, social, economic, religious, political and environmental crises that Europe and the world faced in the past and are facing today.
  2. Highlight the complex role of cultural and social practices in shaping responses to crises but also, sometimes, in creating these, be it today or in the past, and will help us to understand whether and, if so, how cultural traditions problematize the notion of crisis as a fundamental and critical moment for society and for communities.
  3. Explore the impact of culture in shaping resilience in the face of crises. Culture helps not only to react to present crises, but also to prepare societies for the threats and opportunities involved in future ones.
  4. Emphasize how the humanities may contribute to the escalation or, equally, to the de-escalation and resolving of crises.

Project team: Composed of at least four and maximum six Principal Investigators, i.e. partners, eligible to receive funding from four or more different countries participating in the call.

Award: Up to € 1,500,000 across all partners. Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023 (Outline Stage); 26 March 2024 (Full Application)
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

Royal Society Wolfson Fellowships 2022–23

*Full details for this round are not yet available as the call will open on 14 June 2023. This communication is to bring the scheme to your attention to allow candidates sufficient time to prepare strong applications. The University’s internal selection process for this round will be confirmed once the call opens.
 
The Royal Society is holding a webinar for this call on Tuesday 6 June from 13:00-14:15 BST. This webinar will provide research support staff with the chance to learn more about the schemes and application process and will also provide prospective applicants with insight into how to make their applications as competitive as possible. The webinar is available by registration only, which must be done by Friday 2 June at 17:00 BST. You can register for the webinar via Eventbrite and joining instructions will be provided on Monday 5 June via email.

Summary: The Royal Society plans to open Round 3 of their 2022-23 Wolfson Fellowships scheme on 14 June 2023. The programme is to enable UK Universities to strategically recruit and attract outstanding international researchersto the UK’s scientific community. This can be achieved through one of the following routes:

A five-year Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship
This strand focuses entirely on recruitment, enabling UK institutions to enhance their offering with a £300,000 fellowship award to international research leaders wishing to relocate to the UK. The funding can be used flexibly to conduct high-quality research as part of their start-up package. The funding can cover salary enhancement of up to 20%, research expenses at 100% fEC, research assistants at 80% fEC, 4-year PhD studentships, and other justified research costs. 

A 12-month sabbatical Visiting Fellowship
This strand allows excellent international researchers a flexible 12-month sabbatical period at a UK university with an award of up to £125,000 to build and develop international collaborations and networks with the host UK university. The fellowship can be held full time for 1 year or flexibly over 2 years – but the total period of the sabbatical must always amount to 12 months. The funding can cover bursary for visiting fellows up to £80k, research expenses including small equipment up to £10k, and other justified costs. 
 
Eligibility for both strands:

  • Applicants can be of any nationality. 
  • Research must be within the eligible subjects
  • The applicant must be currently based overseas.
  • Candidates should be talented researchers with a proven track record for high quality scientific research. This may include, as appropriate: a strong publication record, being invited to conferences as keynote speaker and evidence of scientific leadership and/or supervising or mentoring junior researchers. 
  • The Royal Society recognises that diversity is essential for delivering excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The Society wants to encourage applications from the widest range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences to maximise innovation and creativity in science for the benefit of humanity.

Note on funding:
Please note that in the case of the salary enhancement element of the main strand and the ‘bursary’ element of the visiting fellowship strand, this funding cannot be used to cover salary on-costs (employers NI and pension contributions) or Estates and Indirect costs directly associated with the Fellow. 

University Internal selection
Institutions nominating more than one candidate across both strands will be expected to: (1) make a strong case against the organisation’s strategic priorities, (2) outline internal selection process to the funder, (3) providing a ranking of proposals where more than one is submitted to the same strand of the call, and (4) detail what other support (direct or in-kind) will be provided to the applicants. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure
 
We anticipate asking interested departments to complete an online selection form by 12 noon on 23rd June. The full requirements for the internal process as well as the link to the online submission form will be provided once the call opens in June. For now, for your information and convenience, the attached document outlines the questions we anticipate requesting for the internal selection process. Please note that due to the funder’s request for ranking of proposals, the internal deadline will be enforced and any late applications will need to be held back to the next round of funding. 
 
Assessment criteria:
Internal applications will be assessed using the Royal Society criteria:

  • Candidate’s track record.
  • The strength of the strategic case for the nomination and fit to the University’s research strategy.
  • The high quality and originality of the candidate’s proposed research vision – including the potential impact of the research and benefit to the UK science base.
  • Visiting Fellowships only: The mutual benefit to the University and the researcher, including potential to develop ongoing international collaborative links, supervise or mentor junior researchers, share ideas and practice.

Award: Up to £300,000 depending on funding strand.
Deadline: 23 June 2023 (RSO Expression of Interest deadline); 09 August (indicative funder deadline)
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

British Academy SHAPE Involve and Engage

Summary: This scheme offers an exciting opportunity for humanities and social sciences researchers to push boundaries and seek imaginative new ways to engage with public. We are looking for researchers from across the UK to deliver innovative public engagement projects working in partnership with a gallery, archive, library or museum (GLAM organisation).
Award: Up to £8,000. Project duration can be any length, provided activity is delivered between October 2023 and October 2024.
Deadline: 28 June 2023
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 25 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards

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. Projects are usually 8 years in duration, but may be less for some disciplines and may only be longer if held on a part-time basis.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 27 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Leverhulme 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 in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research. A Visiting Professorship may last for between 3 and 12 months, and tenures of 6 months or more can be spread over 2 or more visits.
Award: Between £10,000 and £150,000
Deadline: 5 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

 

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: £400,000
Deadline: 5 October 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

 

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £2 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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.

 

All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis until 4 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

 

UKRI Cross Research Council Responsive Mode Scheme: Webinar one

Date: 13 June 2023
Time: 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm UK time
Location: Online
Summary: UKRI has launched round one of the UKRI cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme.

You can apply for funding for breakthrough interdisciplinary ideas that transcend, combine or significantly span disciplines.

This webinar will cover:

  • an overview and scope of round one of the UKRI cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme
  • what UKRI are looking for in applications
  • the application and assessment process
  • opportunity for questions and answers

The session will be recorded and published after the live event.

Please register to attend.

If you have any questions about the scheme or the webinar, please contact ukrirm@ukri.org

 

Co-creation with non-academic partners: future proofing your project

Date: 14 June 2023
Time: 11:00 am to 12:30 pm UK time
Location: Alison Richards Building SG2 / Hybrid
Summary: In this session we’ll explore some of the future proofing you can undertake to ensure a lasting impact from co-created work derived from public engagement and impact projects. There are many good reasons to identify like minded collaborators from civil society, business and industry, policy, third sector organisations, and communities affected by or with expertise in your areas of research, and to engage them in designing public engagement and impact strategies. But how can you future-proof these relationships so that everyone is fairly represented, and so that all parties can benefit from the opportunities of the collaboration. We’ll talk about how to have early conversations with co-creation partners around funding, intellectual property, copyright and attribution, and the roles and responsibilities of collaborators and participants. We’ll focus throughout on how to create and agree future impact pathways which could include open/creative commons or commercial licensing of tools, media or other co-created assets; social entrepreneurship and activism; ongoing research, public engagement and impact partnerships.

 

Distribute & Promote your visual material: social media platforms

Session 1: Fri 16th June, 10:00 - 11:45
Session 2: Fri 16th June, 15:00 - 16:45
Session 3: Tue 20th June, 9:00 - 10:45
Session 4: Tue 20th June, 15:00 - 16:45
Session 5: Fri 23rd June, 9:00 - 10:45
Session 6: (Optional) Fri 23rd June, 13:00 - 16:00

Location: Online
Summary: Get your research seen on social media! Shoot, adapt, edit & schedule visual content about your work to inform and excite. Learn from examples, activities and reflection. Taught by a filmmaker and social media manager with over 15 years experience in the field. Focus will be on IG, Twitter, YouTube & FB but skills and knowledge can be applied to all platforms. All you need is your phone, laptop & internet connection!

 

 

Creative Writing

Date: 21 June 2023
Time: 10:00 am to 12:45 pm
Location: Online
Summary: Have you ever wanted to get creative with your research? To discover how writing can bring a new perspective to your work? How your words can engage with new audiences about the academic research that you are passionate about? This training will enable you to develop creative ways by which you can use writing to engage with the public; providing you with the resources to be more confident in developing and sharing creative writing responses to your area of research. The course will introduce creative writing for poetry and prose, and textual writing for exhibition / display. It will discuss developing writing for performance. The aim is to work with you to bring out the creative responses that lay within your own work. There will be the opportunity to receive written feedback throughout the week, and to discuss your work in a 1-to-1 session with the course tutor (if requested in advance). The training will be led by David Cain. David’s most recent book, Truth Street, was shortlisted for the prestigious Forward Prizes for Poetry (2019). David brings his writing experience together with a passion for public engagement - he currently leads the delivery of the Cambridge Festival.

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.

 

 
AHSS Bulletin May 2023

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin

May 2023

 

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

 

Workshops & Events

 

 

 

Future of UK Treescapes: enhancing the impact of research

Summary: Apply for funding to improve the environmental, socio-economic and cultural understandings of the functions and services provided by UK treescapes.

Applicants should describe clearly how they will build on or complement knowledge exchange activities with external stakeholders being delivered by the funded research projects and the programme ambassadors’ team. This will maximise the added value of knowledge exchange projects and ensure effective translation of research outputs to help drive through long term impact of the programme.

The funder welcomes applicants to engage with funded treescapes fellows, applications should primarily seek to increase the impact of funded research projects.

Applicants should describe the type and scale of knowledge exchange they believe is required to help deliver treescapes expansion and improve their resilience in the UK at different scales and over different time periods.

A clear programme of work for knowledge exchange should be set out that could include a range of activities and approaches targeting different stakeholders.

Award: up to £100,000, funded at 80% fEC. Projects must start by 1 November and have a duration of no longer than 12 months.
Deadline: 25 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: collaborative community research to tackle health inequalities

Summary: Collaborative grants will support high quality innovative research addressing the programme objectives, with interdisciplinary collaborations creating critical mass and expertise. They should be a national focal point for research in the chosen research area.

In addition to carrying out high quality research, collaborative grants will build capability and capacity in addressing the community assets and health inequalities challenge. They will attract new expertise to the field either through applying existing strengths to the research area, or through development of early career researchers, and partners from outside of academia.

Objectives:

Collaborative research grants funded through this funding opportunity will work towards meeting the following programme objectives:

  • to develop testable and replicable collaborative models for integrating community assets within the changing structures of health and social care in the UK, by understanding the complexities, barriers and enablers of integration
  • to explain the links between these community assets and place-based health inequalities with a view to creating healthier, and more resilient, communities and environments, particularly for people living in the most deprived areas
  • to converge data and learning from a range of local and regional models to inform the spread and adoption of collaborative models across the UK

Your application should be highly collaborative and have a strong focus on real world impact.

Award: Between £625,000 and £2.5 million for 36 months, funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: TBA June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ADR England Research Community Catalysts

Summary: Apply for funding to become an ADR England Research Community Catalyst.

ADR UK, in collaboration with other co-funders, is piloting a new approach to encourage the research use of ADR England Flagship data (PDF, 1.5MB) across one of the following three themes:

  • children at risk of poor outcomes
  • youth transitions
  • evaluation

The three community catalyst themes (children at risk of poor outcomes, youth transitions, and evaluation) have been selected to be cross-cutting areas that can use existing ADR England flagship datasets to make a considerable contribution to social science. The themes also offer the opportunity for a collaborative space to open across government departmental and sectoral boundaries and to consider more holistic perspectives on an issue.

It is the shared ambition of all co-funding parties that these awards will develop more self-sustaining, thriving, and well-networked communities of researchers connected with wider stakeholders that have a shared understanding of the gaps and priorities within each theme.

Award: between £670,000 and £970,000 funded at 80% fEC. Projects must start no later than 31 January 2024 and end by 31 March 2026.
Deadline: 6 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

India-UK research into creative industries and cultural heritage

Summary: This funding opportunity aims to strengthen existing and build new India-UK research and innovation collaborations within the fields of creative industries and cultural heritage. Projects funded under this funding opportunity will demonstrate the value of the creative, cultural and heritage sectors to both countries.

This funding opportunity aims to support partnerships that will catalyse new research and innovation across a range of sectors. It acknowledges the different areas of strength and innovation in each country, and the mutual benefit of enhanced collaboration. The importance of cultural heritage to both countries, including connected histories, memories, and communities, provides common ground for heritage research collaboration. This will advance innovation in the field and seek to better understand future challenges.

Projects funded through this funding opportunity can address a wide range of research areas both within and across creative industries and cultural heritage, bringing connections between the two fields to fruition.

Award: up to £400,000, AHRC will fund 80% FEC for UK-based researchers and 100% FEC for eligible international co-investigators. The maximum duration is three years. Projects must start on 1 February 2024.
Deadline: 8 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Understanding coverage in UK longitudinal population studies

Summary: Apply for funding to deliver a project on understanding coverage in UK longitudinal population studies.

This funding opportunity specifies the use of two of the large population cohorts, UK Biobank (UKB) and the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), as case studies to be used in developing the methodology. Proposals to undertake this work are invited and will be assessed in open competition.

Award: £150,000, funded at 80% fEC across nine months. Projects must start after 1 September 2023, with funding to end by May 2024.
Deadline: 19 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Developing innovative approaches to gender-based violence

Summary: Collaborate with international partners to explore ways in which social violence, specifically sex and gender-based violence (GBV) manifests and can be addressed using arts and humanities-led interdisciplinary approaches.

Projects will seek to understand the drivers behind GBV to develop methods of prevention, safeguarding and behavioural change.

Award: Up to £400,000 for a period of 36 months, starting 1 February 2023. UK-based researchers and costs funded at 80% fEC; International Co-I costs funded at 100% fEC. 
Deadline: 27 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

AHRC Networking Grants

Summary: The grant aims to stimulate new debate and exchange of ideas between researchers and stakeholders on a specified thematic area or issue, by covering the costs for workshops, seminars, networking activities or other events.

*Please note that this is the final deadline to submit on Je-S. More information on new AHRC funding schemes will be available soon.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a period of 24 months. Additional funding up to £15,000 to cover any international activities.
Deadline: 29 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Resilient UK coastal communities and seas: Outline Stage

Summary: Apply for funding to enhance the resilience, health and wellbeing of UK coastal communities and seas. Funded projects will: 

  • apply place-based approaches seeking to transform our understanding of climatic, environmental, health, economic, social, and cultural factors affecting coastal communities and seas
  • support the resilient management of UK coastal seas, coastal communities, and the natural capital these areas support by delivering the evidence base, tools and practical solutions needed to inform policy and apply transformative decision making, in collaboration with communities
  • build capacity and capability for transdisciplinary research and the mobilisation of research evidence within coastal communities and seas.

Award: Between £2.5 million and £3 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 54 months. Projects must begin 1 April 2024.
Deadline: 13 July 2023, Outline Stage; TBA October 2023, Full Applications Stage.
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Land use for net zero – research (LUNZ-Research)

Summary: Apply for funding for research projects to develop the UK’s capacity and capability for transforming land use, soil health and agriculture. Your research must contribute to achieving net zero while meeting other environmental and societal goals.

This funding opportunity is for transdisciplinary, high-impact innovative research projects as part of the ‘Transforming land use for net zero, nature and people’ programme.
Award: Between £2.5 million and £4.5 million funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: 11 July 2023, expression of interest deadline; 18 October 2023, full application deadline.
Research Facilitation Contact:
 Dr Elizabeth Penner

Deliver Foundations for a Transformation in Digital Footprint Data

Summary: Apply for funding to undertake innovative research and proof of concept work to transform how digital footprint data (DFD) is created, accessed and used for the public good.
Award: Up to £500,000 funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 12 months.
Deadline: 20 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Building a Secure and Resilient World: Research and Coordination Hub – UKRI

Summary: Building a Secure and Resilient World (BSRW) will take a systemic approach that is human-centred, aimed at strengthening societal and economic resilience, and enhancing security across virtual and physical environments, by improving awareness of risks and threats, preparedness, informed decision-making and response.

The hub will coordinate and maximise the impact of the range of activities commissioned by UKRI ensuring an integrated approach throughout. It will be expected to lead, plan, deliver and manage a multidisciplinary programme of research and devolved funding opportunities in identified areas of knowledge and evidence gaps within the scope of URKI's strategic themes.

Projects must start 1 February 2024 and last 5 years in duration.

Award: Up to £5.5 million for coordination hub applications. Further details will be released 9 May 2023.
Deadline: 27 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Design Exchange Partnerships: design the green transition round two

Summary: Apply for funding to develop design-led solutions to address specific challenges facing biodiversity in the UK.

We welcome broad interpretations of the theme of biodiversity, including but not limited to one or more of the following areas:

  • natural resources
  • materials
  • land or marine use
  • health and wellbeing
  • regeneration and planning

Award: Up to £62,500 for six months or £125,000 for 12 months, plus a five to 10% contribution from the non-academic partner organisation. AHRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost.
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Strategic fellowship in DDR skills and research methods training

Summary: Apply for funding to develop a framework for implementing a whole career approach to training and capacity building in data-driven research (DDR) skills and research methods in the social sciences.
Award: Up to £370,000 funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 36 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Pre-announcement: population health improvement network of clusters

Summary: Apply for funding to lead a population health improvement research cluster.

For the purposes of this funding opportunity a research cluster is a group of interdisciplinary researchers working together to address an important population health challenge.

Up to 7 research clusters will be funded, each addressing a separate yet complementary challenge. Together they will form an interdisciplinary network, which will generate research to improve the health of communities across the UK, reduce health inequalities, and develop and evaluate effective, long-lasting and environmentally sustainable interventions.

UKRI will run a population health improvement webinar on 27 January 2023 at 2pmfor orientation followed by further engagement events. REGISTER HERE.

Award: Between £5 million to £7 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of 48 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: URKI cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme

Summary: This funding is designed to support new interdisciplinary ideas emerging from the research community outside current disciplinary boundaries.

We will support projects that transcend, combine or significantly span disciplines, involving different knowledge and methodological spheres.

This is a new scheme that we are piloting over 2 rounds of funding, allowing us to assess demand, and test and refine our processes. We will run an outline stage ahead of inviting full applications. We expect research organisations to ensure applications from their institution fit the scheme’s objectives.

Award: Between £200,000 to £1.2 million, funded at 80% for projects lasting up to 24 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Creating Opportunities Evaluation Development Fund

Summary: The Creating Opportunities Development Evaluation Fund is aimed at enabling the research and innovation community to test interventions on the ground, primarily using robust counterfactual impact evaluation methods. In doing so, grant holders will help address gaps and weaknesses in the existing evidence base underpinning the thematic areas covered by the UKRI creating opportunities, improving outcomes strategic theme.

This fund will support small-scale evaluation activity that is focused on tackling persistent local and regional inequalities within the UK. Awards will last up to 12 months.

Award: Between £100,000 and £250,000 funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Creating Opportunities Trial Accelerator Fund

Summary: Apply for funding to test and rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at spreading opportunities and reducing disparities in economic, health and social outcomes for people and places across the UK.

Further details will become available in June 2023.

Award: Between £1 million and £2.5 million funded at 80% fEC. Projects should last between 13 and 48 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Pre-announcement: place-based approaches to sustainable living

Summary: Apply for funding to deliver interdisciplinary research on place-based approaches for an environmentally sustainable future, which will enable enhanced evidence-based decision making.

Proposals submitted to this opportunity will need to meet the following requirements to be eligible:

  • an interdisciplinary, innovative approach to addressing place-based challenges, which delivers impactful systems-based solutions
  • a co-produced approach to place-based issues, which identifies mechanisms for wider impact through community engagement and provision for building capacity and capability in communities and with networks at different scales.
  • potential to deliver transformative change through theoretical or practical solutions to address issues at a local level and potential to scale up
  • be able to provide actionable knowledge throughout and beyond the lifetime of the grant
  • smart use of data, recontextualising existing data and new research, where appropriate
  • include interventions that consider wider impact, for example intersectionality, spill-over effects, co-benefits and potential impacts for people, nature and environments

Award: Up to £2 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of 60 months, beginning 1 April 2024.
Deadline: TBA December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update

UKRI Guarantee Guidance
The scope of UKRI’s Horizon Europe Guarantee Funding was extended on 19th December 2022. It now covers all eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe calls with final submission deadlines on or before 31st March 2023. Previously, it covered Horizon Europe calls with a final submission deadline on or before 31st December 2022.

Other updates introduced include i) additional notes on associated partner obligations (page 6 of guidance) and ii) revision to IFS post-award monitoring (Q&A question 8). These updates and their implications will be reviewed by EU and International Team and communicated in due course.
 
Future applications: The UK is still eligible to apply for EU funding and applications made through Cambridge must still apply as if the UK is already an Associated Country.  This is because:
The EC states in the General Annexes (page 7) “…third countries negotiating association to Horizon Europe will be treated as entities established in an Associated Country…”  
Applicants will not be eligible for the UK government funding if they are unable demonstrate that the sole reason they need funding is because the UK’s association has not been completed by the time the grant agreement needs to be signed – see page 4 in the Guidance.

Updates on Association: Please visit the Research Operation Office’s EU pages

Horizon Europe Main Work Programme

This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 

Highlighted notices:

Accelerating the green transition and energy access in Africa - HORIZON-CL5-2023-D3-02-16
Deadline: 05 September 2023

Back to earth: bringing communities and citizens closer to soil - HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-07
Deadline: 20 September 2023

The interrelation between social, cultural and political identities, as well as the sense of belonging, and democracies 
HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-04
Deadline: 07 February 2024 

ERC Proof of Concept Grants

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research, 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. Proof of Concept Grants are therefore on offer only to Principal Investigators whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.
Award: up to € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Crisis: Perspectives from the Humanities

Summary: The Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) Network in collaboration with CHANSE (Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe) have launched a new Joint Research Programme “Crisis – Perspectives from the Humanities” (Crisis Call)

By launching the Crisis Call, the national funding organisations involved want to create opportunities for humanities-led, collaborative, transnational research that will result in new academic insights relevant to major social, cultural, and political challenges facing Europe and the world. The aim of the programme is fourfold. It will:

  1. Provide, from a humanities perspective, new knowledge and understanding of the origins, sources and causes of the major philosophical, cultural, social, economic, religious, political and environmental crises that Europe and the world faced in the past and are facing today.
  2. Highlight the complex role of cultural and social practices in shaping responses to crises but also, sometimes, in creating these, be it today or in the past, and will help us to understand whether and, if so, how cultural traditions problematize the notion of crisis as a fundamental and critical moment for society and for communities.
  3. Explore the impact of culture in shaping resilience in the face of crises. Culture helps not only to react to present crises, but also to prepare societies for the threats and opportunities involved in future ones.
  4. Emphasize how the humanities may contribute to the escalation or, equally, to the de-escalation and resolving of crises.

Project team: Composed of at least four and maximum six Principal Investigators, i.e. partners, eligible to receive funding from four or more different countries participating in the call.

Award: Up to € 1,500,000 across all partners. Project duration is between 24 and 36 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023 (Outline Stage); 26 March 2024 (Full Application)
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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. The Fellowships fund the salary costs (normally starting at the most junior point of the lecturer scale at the institution concerned) of an individual to undertake the normal duties of the applicant for the duration of the Fellowship. Fellowship duration is between 24 and 36 months to commence at the beginning of the academic year following the receipt of the offer letter.

Award: Costs of replacement lecturer and annual maximum of £6,000 research expenses.
Deadline: 12 May 2023
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: £400,000
Deadline: 18 May 2023
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 25 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards

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. Projects are usually 8 years in duration, but may be less for some disciplines and may only be longer if held on a part-time basis.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 27 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £2 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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.

All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis until 4 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

HSS Research Framework Funding

Summary: HSS Research Framework Funding is flexible and can be used to support wide-ranging activities which develop research collaborations, inspire research projects and stimulate wider HSS research opportunities growing out of the thematic areas. The aim of the Framework is to benefit the research infrastructure for HSS research as widely as possible. Funds are intended to support HSS-led initiatives and the involvement of researchers at all career stages and from outside of HSS is welcome in these initiatives.

  • Phase 1 of the HSS Research Framework runs through to the end of July 2023; there is still some funding available for HSS-led research activities relating broadly to one or more Framework themes. Please contact Dr Andrea Salter as soon as possible to discuss activities taking place during May to July 2023 to see if they can be supported as part of Phase 1 (e.g. events, research networking, research assistance).
  • Researchers can now apply for funding to support activities under Phase 2 (August 2023-July 2025): the deadline is 12 May 2023. Guidance on the process, the online form and work plan template are available on the Research Framework Sharepoint site. Please discuss ideas with Dr Andrea Salter in advance of submission (if you have any issues accessing the Sharepoint site, please email the School Office). Please note: to apply for Phase 2 funding, it is not necessary to have received funding in Phase 1 from the Framework. Researchers may wish to highlight and group together existing activities funded by other means (or unfunded) which relate to the thematic areas as a basis from which continuation activities are proposed.

Deadline: 12 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Andrea Salter

AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations. Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: The fund will support staff costs, teaching replacement costs, postdoctoral and administrative support, venue hire, equipment, catering costs, travel expenses, accommodation, IT provision, and software development and licenses.
Deadline: 22 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Early-Career Collaboration Grants

Summary: The Early-Career Collaboration Grants scheme has been created to increase opportunities for in-person global collaboration for early-career academics in the wake of the pandemic. Researchers at Cambridge who have submitted their PhD within the last 10 years (excluding Postdocs). 

Visits can take place any time between 1 October 2023 and 1 October 2024. Applicants are asked to submit letters of support from their Cambridge department and their intended host institution along with the application form, and detail plans for how their visit will help to foster additional collaboration between the two universities in the future.
Award: Up to $5,000 USD
Deadline: 1 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: iaru@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

CIND ERC Funding Call 2023

Summary: The Centre for Integrative Neuroscience Discovery (CIND) brings together researchers working at the intersections of neurocognition, neurocomputation and neurotechnology. We aim to:

  1. Interface between neuroscience, biological sciences, computer science, engineering and the AI and data science community at the University of Cambridge.
  2. Enable collaborations across Cambridge’s cross-disciplinary research community in discovery neuroscience that have strong translational potential in the development of artificial intelligence systems, neurotechnology solutions and clinical applications.

Our main mechanism for enabling collaboration is the provision of pilot funding for interdisciplinary neuroscience research projects. In the current funding call, we invite proposals for Early Career Researcher (ECR) projects, at the intersections of neurocognition, neurocomputation and neurotechnology. This funding will ideally contribute to the professional development of successful applicants, by positioning them to apply for substantial grants and/or positions, as the next step in their research career. Project proposals should articulate specific career progression plans beyond this funding.
Award: Up to £25,000 (direct costs only) for a maximum duration of 9 months during the period of 1 August 2023 to 30 June 2024.
Deadline: 2 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: cind-coordinator@bio.cam.ac.uk

 

Engaged Researcher Online - Creative Evaluation Techniques

Thursday 4 May 2023, 10:00 - 11:15

Would you like to find out what audiences think about your activity but want to try something other than a questionnaire? Want to move beyond ‘any other comments’? In this session, find out about alternative evaluation techniques used in the University of Cambridge Museums, and how you could apply them to your own situation.

Contact: engaged.researcher@admin.cam.ac.uk

Engaged Researcher Online - Introduction to Public Engagement

Thursday 11 May 2023, 10:00 - 11:00

We’ll be looking at the what, why and how of public engagement and introducing you to ways to plan an effective public engagement project. Topics: The what: definitions of public engagement, who are the public, what activities count as engagement, what are the goals? The why: University commitment to PE, REF, Funders The how: the Logic Model approach to planning PE, practical considerations, moving engagement online and opportunities at the University.

This course will be led by Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement.

Contact: engaged.researcher@admin.cam.ac.uk

Engaged Researcher Online - 'The Conversation' media training

Wednesday 31 May 2023, 10:30 - 12:30

The Conversation is a news analysis and opinion website with content written by academics working with professional journalists. It is an open access, independent media charity funded by more than 80 UK and European universities.

In this interactive session we'll take you through what The Conversation is - our origins and aims; what we do and why.

We’ll look at why you should communicate your research to the public and take you through The Conversation’s unique, collaborative editorial process.

We’ll give you tips on style, tone and structure (with examples), look at how to pitch (with examples) and look at different approaches and article types.

Contact: engaged.researcher@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

 

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.

AHSS Bulletin April 2023

AHSS Research and Impact Facilitation Bulletin 

April 2023 

  

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 

 

Future Leaders Fellowships: round 8

Summary: This scheme offers funding to support ambitious research or innovation programmes across UKRI’s remit. It is aimed at candidates who are not already established and independent, though those who currently hold permanent/open-ended contracts can apply with specific justification. The definition of ‘early career’ is deliberately not restricted to ensure that the scheme is open to candidates from non-traditional backgrounds and is accessible from a diversity of career paths and experiences within R&I. Please consult the Scheme Guidance for full details.

Fellowships are structured as 4+3 years and require the host organisation to provide tapering salary support for the Fellow from year 3. The host organisation must also provide a route to an open-ended UK based independent research position. Please contact your School’s HR Business Manager for further guidance on this.

Internal restriction:

The Research Strategy Office has announced the internal selection process for the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships. The Schools were asked to submit a ranked list of applicants to the RSO. The School of Arts and Humanities and the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences have requested that Departments/Faculties who identify a suitable candidate submit nominations to the relevant School by 20 April.

Please complete this form and send it to ahss-srf-administrator@admin.cam.ac.uk along with the applicant's CV. 

Award: There is no minimum or maximum award value. Projects can last for up to four years.

Deadline: 20 April 2023, Nominations sent to Schools; 27 April, RSO internal deadline; 4 July 2023, funder deadline
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik 

UKRI Policy Fellowships 2023

Summary: Apply for funding to collaborate with a UK or devolved government host or What Works Network centre on research activity to address pressing national and global challenges.

You will:

  • co-design research with the host organisation to inform policy on a priority area
  • help improve the exchange of knowledge between policy and academic institutions

Award: For fellowships with a Whitehall or devolved administration host the full economic cost (FEC) is £170,000, funded at 80%. For fellowships with a What Works Network host the FEC is £210,000, funded at 80%.
Deadline: 20 April 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

UKRI Mental health platform hubs

Summary: Hubs will be flagship investments, that draw together relevant expertise from across the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) spectrum and engage relevant stakeholders, to carry out impactful research on serious mental illnesses. The hubs will together constitute the core of the mental health platform (MH platform).
 
The focus of this funding opportunity is on severe mental illness (conditions that have a significant impact on people’s lives), including but not limited to:

  • severe depression
  • schizophrenia
  • bipolar disorder
  • obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • panic disorder
  • post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder

 
University Internal selection:  
Institutions can only submit application. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure
 
To take part in the internal selection please submit via our online form (https://forms.office.com/e/VCvBTkukbk) by 12 noon on 21 April 2023
NB: if asked to log-in, please use your crsid/Raven details; note that a Form cannot be saved and returned to, it must be completed in one sitting.  
 
You will need the following documents and information to complete the Form:  

  • List of Co-investigators and external partners 
  • Proposal outline, including a 500 word ‘plain English’ summary (which would form the EoI summary if the bid is selected by the internal review panel) plus further information for the internal review (see criteria below)

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

  • Vision and approach
  • Data management and sharing
  • Involvement and engagement of people with lived experience (PWLE)

Award: Up to £3.5 million
Deadline: 21 April 2023 (RSO internal deadline); 9 May 2023 (Expression of Interest deadline); 13 June 2023 (Full Application deadline).
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Opportunity: arts and humanities-led research commercialisation

Summary: Apply for funding as part of AHRC’s first dedicated commercialisation opportunity as part of our commitment to increase support for research commercialisation across the arts and humanities.

Proposals can:

  • follow on from any previously UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded research in the last 24 months
  • be from any discipline but must significantly involve the arts and humanities

Successful applicants will influence the development of future AHRC commercialisation programmes.

Award: Up to £50,000, funded at 80%.
Deadline: 25 April 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Develop evidence-based recommendations for ESRC's data policy

Summary: The ESRC wishes to appoint an individual or team to provide high-quality advice and well-developed recommendations to ESRC to support the development and implementation of an updated data policy.

A vital part of this work will be consulting widely, in a hybrid manner, with stakeholders across sectors and disciplines to accurately reflect the needs of the ESRC community and more broadly, how this sits within the wider data landscape.

Award: Between £200,000 ad £250,000, funded at 80%.
Deadline: 28 April 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

International research on climate change adaptation and mitigation

Summary: Apply for funding to conduct international and interdisciplinary research on participatory and culturally-appropriate mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change. Funding aims to further the design and implementation of co-produced adaptation and mitigation strategies for vulnerable groups. Vulnerable groups are those currently most impacted by the effects of climate change, owing to both:

  • physical vulnerability: heightened exposure to events related to climate change or poor infrastructure
  • socioeconomic vulnerability: limited resources to prepare or respond to the impacts of climate change, including knowledge, technology or financial resources, or owing to conflict, security and fragility

Award: Up to £500,000, funded at 80% for projects lasting 36 months.
Deadline: 2 May 2023, Intention to Submit; 12 September 2023, Full Application.
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Operationalising scaled production and sharing of synthetic data

Summary: Apply for funding to evaluate the use of low-fidelity synthetic versions of datasets held securely within:

  • UK Data Service
  • Office for National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service
  • other trusted research environments (TREs)

Award: Up to £375,000, funded at 80% for projects lasting between 18 and 24 months.
Deadline: 9 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Global Centres in clean energy and climate change

Summary: The Global Centres programme is an NSF-led effort, implemented in partnership with like-minded international funders. The programme encourages and supports large-scale collaborative research on use-inspired themes in clean energy and climate change which foster solutions to address the global climate crisis.

In this inaugural Global Centres funding opportunity, NSF have partnered with funding organisations in Australia, Canada, and the UK. The international funding organisations partnering with the US’s NSF are:

  • Australia: CSIRO
  • Canada: NSERC and SSHRC
  • UK: UKRI

This programme will prioritise research collaborations fostering team science, community-engaged research, and use knowledge-to-action frameworks. The proposed research work should maximise the benefits of international, interdisciplinary collaborations. The proposed research can focus on delivering solutions not just for the countries partnering this opportunity, but which may be applicable at a global level.

This opportunity is supported through UKRI’s strategic theme ‘building a green future’, through which UKRI is seeking to harness the UK’s research and innovation expertise. This strategic theme will address environmental challenges, overcoming technological, social and market barriers to deliver business growth, increased productivity and a prosperous green future for all.
Award: Up to £6,250,000, funded at 80% for 'Track-1' projects that can be up to 60 months in duration.
Deadline: 10 May 2023, NSF deadline; 11 May 2023, UKRI deadline.
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

UKRI circular fashion and textile programme: NetworkPlus

Summary: NERC, Innovate UK and AHRC have built a strong coalition with key representatives from industry, government departments and the third sector to co-produce a 10-year vision for circular fashion and textiles.

This vision aims to keep the UK at the forefront of the global fashion and textiles industry through:

  • delivering sustainable textile and clothing manufacturing
  • informing circular business models
  • developing recycling infrastructure
  • innovating novel technologies
  • embedding green growth
  • fostering a diverse and future-proof workforce

A big challenge identified within the vision for the fashion and textiles industry that this funding opportunity seeks to address, is the need to establish standardised and agreed data that can inform decision making processes. For this to be achievable a standardised framework needs to be developed that brings together data sets into one place through prioritisation and collaboration with key stakeholders from across the relevant sectors.

Three sub-networks will work together to build a community and bridge the gap between different processes across the fashion and textiles sectors, such as:

  • designers
  • artists
  • researchers in material cultures and textiles
  • market researchers
  • environmental scientists
  • industry
  • suppliers
  • retailers
  • others

Award: Up to £2.5 million over 24 months, funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: 16 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Centre in community participation and connectedness

Summary: The ESRC is looking to fund a centre that is focused on supporting and strengthening connectedness and participation in communities across the UK. The centre will bring together the right people, disciplines, institutions, and infrastructure to provide the evidence needed for this challenge within a 5-year timeframe.

When participation is low, communities can struggle to mobilise social capital and coordinate to identify and address challenges. Strengthening connectedness within and between communities can play an important role in reducing the social and economic marginalisation of individuals, groups, and areas.

There is still much to understand about how disparity in opportunities and outcomes, attachment to place, and external pressures intersect at the community level, and what this can mean for community connectedness and levels of participation. There also remains a lack of evidence on the impact of interventions designed to strengthen community resilience, engagement, and social capital.

Evidence is needed at a local, regional, and national level to ensure that decision makers understand the causal relationships between place-based disparities and community connectedness and can draw upon clear strategies that support community efforts to address these disparities.

Award: between £5 million and £9.7 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 5 years.
Deadline: 17 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Centre in climate change and health

Summary: Apply for funding to establish a centre that will address the challenges that climate change poses to population health, in a way that enhances both environmental and health outcomes. The centre will accelerate understanding of the links between climate change and human health and form an evidence base for policy makers. It is important that the centre considers co-benefits, for example, the potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies to have positive impacts on both health and the environment.
Award: between £5 million and £9.7 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 5 years.
Deadline: 17 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Centre in sustainable and equitable low-carbon living

Summary: Apply for funding to establish a centre in sustainable and equitable low-carbon living. The aim of this centre is to enable UK decision makers to identify the most cost-effective and socially feasible options for supporting the public, government, and businesses in transitioning to low-carbon living and adapting to wider environmental change and biodiversity challenges.
Award: between £5 million and £9.7 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 5 years.
Deadline: 17 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Future of UK Treescapes: enhancing the impact of research

Summary: Apply for funding to improve the environmental, socio-economic and cultural understandings of the functions and services provided by UK treescapes.

Applicants should describe clearly how they will build on or complement knowledge exchange activities with external stakeholders being delivered by the funded research projects and the programme ambassadors’ team. This will maximise the added value of knowledge exchange projects and ensure effective translation of research outputs to help drive through long term impact of the programme.

The funder welcomes applicants to engage with funded treescapes fellows, applications should primarily seek to increase the impact of funded research projects.

Applicants should describe the type and scale of knowledge exchange they believe is required to help deliver treescapes expansion and improve their resilience in the UK at different scales and over different time periods.

A clear programme of work for knowledge exchange should be set out that could include a range of activities and approaches targeting different stakeholders.

Award: up to £100,000, funded at 80% fEC. Projects must start by 1 November and have a duration of no longer than 12 months.
Deadline: 25 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: collaborative community research to tackle health inequalities

Summary: Collaborative grants will support high quality innovative research addressing the programme objectives, with interdisciplinary collaborations creating critical mass and expertise. They should be a national focal point for research in the chosen research area.

In addition to carrying out high quality research, collaborative grants will build capability and capacity in addressing the community assets and health inequalities challenge. They will attract new expertise to the field either through applying existing strengths to the research area, or through development of early career researchers, and partners from outside of academia.

Objectives

Collaborative research grants funded through this funding opportunity will work towards meeting the following programme objectives:

  • to develop testable and replicable collaborative models for integrating community assets within the changing structures of health and social care in the UK, by understanding the complexities, barriers and enablers of integration
  • to explain the links between these community assets and place-based health inequalities with a view to creating healthier, and more resilient, communities and environments, particularly for people living in the most deprived areas
  • to converge data and learning from a range of local and regional models to inform the spread and adoption of collaborative models across the UK

Your application should be highly collaborative and have a strong focus on real world impact.

Award: Between £625,000 and £2.5 million for 36 months, funded at 80% fEC.
Deadline: TBA June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

ADR England Research Community Catalysts

Summary: Apply for funding to become an ADR England Research Community Catalyst.

ADR UK, in collaboration with other co-funders, is piloting a new approach to encourage the research use of ADR England Flagship data (PDF, 1.5MB) across one of the following three themes:

  • children at risk of poor outcomes
  • youth transitions
  • evaluation

The three community catalyst themes (children at risk of poor outcomes, youth transitions, and evaluation) have been selected to be cross-cutting areas that can use existing ADR England flagship datasets to make a considerable contribution to social science. The themes also offer the opportunity for a collaborative space to open across government departmental and sectoral boundaries and to consider more holistic perspectives on an issue.

It is the shared ambition of all co-funding parties that these awards will develop more self-sustaining, thriving, and well-networked communities of researchers connected with wider stakeholders that have a shared understanding of the gaps and priorities within each theme.

Award: between £670,000 and £970,000 funded at 80% fEC. Projects must start no later than 31 January 2024 and end by 31 March 2026.
Deadline: 6 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Understanding coverage in UK longitudinal population studies

Summary: Apply for funding to deliver a project on understanding coverage in UK longitudinal population studies.

This funding opportunity specifies the use of two of the large population cohorts, UK Biobank (UKB) and the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), as case studies to be used in developing the methodology. Proposals to undertake this work are invited and will be assessed in open competition.

Award: £150,000, funded at 80% fEC across nine months. Projects must start after 1 September 2023, with funding to end by May 2024.
Deadline: 19 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

AHRC Networking Grants

Summary: The grant aims to stimulate new debate and exchange of ideas between researchers and stakeholders on a specified thematic area or issue, by covering the costs for workshops, seminars, networking activities or other events.
Award: Up to £30,000 for a period of 24 months. Additional funding up to £15,000 to cover any international activities.
Deadline: 29 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: resilient UK coastal communities and seas

Summary: Apply for funding to enhance the resilience, health and wellbeing of UK coastal communities and seas. Funded projects will: 

  • apply place-based approaches seeking to transform our understanding of climatic, environmental, health, economic, social, and cultural factors affecting coastal communities and seas
  • support the resilient management of UK coastal seas, coastal communities, and the natural capital these areas support by delivering the evidence base, tools and practical solutions needed to inform policy and apply transformative decision making, in collaboration with communities
  • build capacity and capability for transdisciplinary research and the mobilisation of research evidence within coastal communities and seas.

Award: Between £2.5 million and £3 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 54 months. Projects must begin 1 April 2024.
Deadline: TBA July 2023, Outline Stage; TBA October 2023, Full Applications Stage.
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Deliver Foundations for a Transformation in Digital Footprint Data

Summary: Apply for funding to undertake innovative research and proof of concept work to transform how digital footprint data (DFD) is created, accessed and used for the public good.
Award: Up to £500,000 funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 12 months.
Deadline: 20 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: Strategic fellowship in DDR skills and research methods training

Summary: Apply for funding to develop a framework for implementing a whole career approach to training and capacity building in data-driven research (DDR) skills and research methods in the social sciences.
Award: Up to £370,000 funded at 80% fEC for a period of up to 36 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: population health improvement network of clusters

Summary: Apply for funding to lead a population health improvement research cluster.

For the purposes of this funding opportunity a research cluster is a group of interdisciplinary researchers working together to address an important population health challenge.

Up to 7 research clusters will be funded, each addressing a separate yet complementary challenge. Together they will form an interdisciplinary network, which will generate research to improve the health of communities across the UK, reduce health inequalities, and develop and evaluate effective, long-lasting and environmentally sustainable interventions.

UKRI will run a population health improvement webinar on 27 January 2023 at 2pm for orientation followed by further engagement events. REGISTER HERE.

Award: Between £5 million to £7 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of 48 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: URKI cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme

Summary: This funding is designed to support new interdisciplinary ideas emerging from the research community outside current disciplinary boundaries.

We will support projects that transcend, combine or significantly span disciplines, involving different knowledge and methodological spheres.

This is a new scheme that we are piloting over 2 rounds of funding, allowing us to assess demand, and test and refine our processes. We will run an outline stage ahead of inviting full applications. We expect research organisations to ensure applications from their institution fit the scheme’s objectives.

Award: Between £200,000 to £1.2 million, funded at 80% for projects lasting up to 24 months.
Deadline: TBA
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Pre-announcement: place-based approaches to sustainable living

Summary: Apply for funding to deliver interdisciplinary research on place-based approaches for an environmentally sustainable future, which will enable enhanced evidence-based decision making.

Proposals submitted to this opportunity will need to meet the following requirements to be eligible:

  • an interdisciplinary, innovative approach to addressing place-based challenges, which delivers impactful systems-based solutions
  • a co-produced approach to place-based issues, which identifies mechanisms for wider impact through community engagement and provision for building capacity and capability in communities and with networks at different scales.
  • potential to deliver transformative change through theoretical or practical solutions to address issues at a local level and potential to scale up
  • be able to provide actionable knowledge throughout and beyond the lifetime of the grant
  • smart use of data, recontextualising existing data and new research, where appropriate
  • include interventions that consider wider impact, for example intersectionality, spill-over effects, co-benefits and potential impacts for people, nature and environments

Award: Up to £2 million funded at 80% fEC for a period of 60 months, beginning 1 April 2024.
Deadline: TBA December 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Horizon Europe Update: UK Eligibility Update

UKRI Guarantee Guidance
The scope of UKRI’s Horizon Europe Guarantee Funding was extended on 19th December 2022. It now covers all eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe calls with final submission deadlines on or before 31st March 2023. Previously, it covered Horizon Europe calls with a final submission deadline on or before 31st December 2022.

Other updates introduced include i) additional notes on associated partner obligations (page 6 of guidance) and ii) revision to IFS post-award monitoring (Q&A question 8). These updates and their implications will be reviewed by EU and International Team and communicated in due course.
 
Future applications: The UK is still eligible to apply for EU funding and applications made through Cambridge must still apply as if the UK is already an Associated Country.  This is because:
The EC states in the General Annexes (page 7) “…third countries negotiating association to Horizon Europe will be treated as entities established in an Associated Country…”  
Applicants will not be eligible for the UK government funding if they are unable demonstrate that the sole reason they need funding is because the UK’s association has not been completed by the time the grant agreement needs to be signed – see page 4 in the Guidance.

Updates on Association: Please visit the Research Operation Office’s EU pages.

Horizon Europe Main Work Programme

This PDF offers further details on calls relevant to SAHSS.  This list is not exhaustive so please refer the Horizon Europe Portal for full details. UKRO also have some very useful Factsheets that outline the thematic clusters that make up the three pillars of research support offered.
 
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner
 

Highlighted notices:

Back to earth: bringing communities and citizens closer to soil 
HORIZON-MISS-2023-SOIL-01-07
Deadline: 20 September 2023

Digital democracy 
HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-07
Deadline: 07 February 2024

New sustainable business and production models for farmers and rural communities 
HORIZON-CL6-2024-COMMUNITIES-02-2-two-stage
Deadline: 22 February 2024 (First Stage deadline); 17 September 2024 (Second Stage deadline)

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.
Deadline: 23 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

ERC Proof of Concept Grants

Summary: The ERC Proof of Concept Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research, 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. Proof of Concept Grants are therefore on offer only to Principal Investigators whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.
Award: up to € 150,000 for a period of 18 months.
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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 in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research. A Visiting Professorship may last for between 3 and 12 months, and tenures of 6 months or more can be spread over 2 or more visits.
Award: Between £10,000 and £150,000
Deadline: 4 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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. The Fellowships fund the salary costs (normally starting at the most junior point of the lecturer scale at the institution concerned) of an individual to undertake the normal duties of the applicant for the duration of the Fellowship. Fellowship duration is between 24 and 36 months to commence at the beginning of the academic year following the receipt of the offer letter.

Award: Costs of replacement lecturer and annual maximum of £6,000 research expenses.
Deadline: 12 May 2023
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: £400,000
Deadline: 18 May 2023
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 that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. The award usually lasts for 8 years, but may be less for some disciplines, such as humanities and social science.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 25 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Wellcome Trust Career Development Awards

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. Projects are usually 8 years in duration, but may be less for some disciplines and may only be longer if held on a part-time basis.
Award: Limit not specified. It is expected that the PI requests an amount that is appropriate to the project.
Deadline: 27 July 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Large Grant Contribution Fund

Summary: Research grant applications for funding over £2 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.
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.
Deadline: Rolling basis
Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact your relevant member of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange Team.

All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: Up to £15,000 per application.
Deadline: Rolling basis until 4 September 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

HSS Research Framework - apply for Phase 2 funding

Summary: Humanities and social science researchers from across a wide range of disciplines, many involving collaboration outside the School, have engaged with Phase 1 of the HSS Research Framework and are currently working on activities under each thematic area. Researchers wishing to propose HSS-led follow-on activities as part of Phase 2 (August 2023-July 2025) are requested to prepare a work plan of proposed activities under the broad scope of one or more Framework theme (full guidance is here).

It is not necessary to have received funding in Phase 1 to apply for Phase 2 support.

Researchers may wish to highlight and group together existing activities funded by other means (or unfunded) which relate to the thematic areas as a basis from which continuation activities are proposed. This flexibility aims to ensure that researchers who wish to develop activities under the thematic areas have the opportunity to become involved in Phase 2, enhancing the range of initiatives the Framework as a whole supports and reflecting HSS research relating to the thematic areas in a rounded, inclusive way. 

Award: There are two funding streams 1) the Convening Fund supports projects up to £15,000 per annum (2 years of funding) per thematic strand 2) the Research Assistant Fund supports projects up to £20k per annum (2 years of funding) across all thematic strands.
Deadline: 28 April 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Andrea Salter

AHRC IAA Knowledge Exchange Fellowship Scheme

Summary: The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly. This call supports interdisciplinary projects, open to PIs and ECRs with PIs as co-applicants.

Proposed projects must support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.Project can be up to three months in duration.

Award: The fund will support staff costs, teaching replacement costs, postdoctoral and administrative support, venue hire, equipment, catering costs, travel expenses, accommodation, IT provision, and software development and licenses.
Deadline: 22 May 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

IARU Early-Career Collaboration Grants

Summary: The Early-Career Collaboration Grants scheme has been created to increase opportunities for in-person global collaboration for early-career academics in the wake of the pandemic. Researchers at Cambridge who have submitted their PhD within the last 10 years (excluding Postdocs). 

Visits can take place any time between 1 October 2023 and 1 October 2024. Applicants are asked to submit letters of support from their Cambridge department and their intended host institution along with the application form, and detail plans for how their visit will help to foster additional collaboration between the two universities in the future.
Award: Up to $5,000 USD
Deadline: 1 June 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: iaru@admin.cam.ac.uk

Engaged Researcher Online - 'The Conversation' media training

Wednesday 12 April 2023, 10:30 - 12:30

The Conversation is a news analysis and opinion website with content written by academics working with professional journalists. It is an open access, independent media charity funded by more than 80 UK and European universities.

In this interactive session we'll take you through what The Conversation is - our origins and aims; what we do and why.

We’ll look at why you should communicate your research to the public and take you through The Conversation’s unique, collaborative editorial process.

We’ll give you tips on style, tone and structure (with examples), look at how to pitch (with examples) and look at different approaches and article types.

Contact: engaged.researcher@admin.cam.ac.uk

Engaged Researcher Online - Creative Evaluation Techniques

Thursday 4 May 2023, 10:00 - 11:15

Would you like to find out what audiences think about your activity but want to try something other than a questionnaire? Want to move beyond ‘any other comments’? In this session, find out about alternative evaluation techniques used in the University of Cambridge Museums, and how you could apply them to your own situation.

Contact: engaged.researcher@admin.cam.ac.uk

Engaged Researcher Online - Introduction to Public Engagement

Thursday 11 May 2023, 10:00 - 11:00

We’ll be looking at the what, why and how of public engagement and introducing you to ways to plan an effective public engagement project. Topics: The what: definitions of public engagement, who are the public, what activities count as engagement, what are the goals? The why: University commitment to PE, REF, Funders The how: the Logic Model approach to planning PE, practical considerations, moving engagement online and opportunities at the University.

This course will be led by Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement.

Contact: engaged.researcher@admin.cam.ac.uk

Engaged Researcher Online - 'The Conversation' media training

Wednesday 31 May 2023, 10:30 - 12:30

The Conversation is a news analysis and opinion website with content written by academics working with professional journalists. It is an open access, independent media charity funded by more than 80 UK and European universities.

In this interactive session we'll take you through what The Conversation is - our origins and aims; what we do and why.

We’ll look at why you should communicate your research to the public and take you through The Conversation’s unique, collaborative editorial process.

We’ll give you tips on style, tone and structure (with examples), look at how to pitch (with examples) and look at different approaches and article types.

Contact: engaged.researcher@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

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. 

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