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

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: Projects should aim to:

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

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

Collaborations can involve:

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

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

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary:Fellows will be uniquely positioned to:

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

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

Three types of fellowship are offered:

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

Modern Industrial Strategy (IS-8) sectors:

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

Government missions:

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

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

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

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

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

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

• homelessness
• policing
• place

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

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

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

UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 10 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 16 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 08 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

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

NEWS: ERC Scientific Council readjusts rules for reapplication

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

RESOURCE: Horizon Europe National Contact Points Portal

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 09 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 15 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

Funder Deadline: TBC, February 2027

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Resilient Communities

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 05 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

• AI, Digital and Technology
• National Security and Resilience
• Infrastructure, Planning and Land Use, including Clean Energy Industries
• Health and Life Sciences
• Education, Children and Young People
• Criminal Justice
• Place-Based Economic Growth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 15 August 2026

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 26 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

Funder Deadline: 01 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 01 September 2026, SHSS internal deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

The objectives of this scheme are to:

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 08 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

The programme will:

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

Award: Up to £8,000

Funder Deadline: 18 September 2026

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

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

Your intervention must demonstrate clear and measurable clinical benefit and:

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 18 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

We fund research into the: 

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

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

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Award: Up to £500,000

Funder Deadline: 05 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

A prosperous and fair society

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

An inclusive society

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

Science, technology and society

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

Climate change

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

Trustworthy and effective institutions

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

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

Funder Deadline: 05 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 07 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

• Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context
• Race, Ethnicity and Immigration
• Immigration and Immigrant Integration
• Implications of the 2023 Supreme Court Decision to Ban Race-Conscious Admissions at Colleges and Universities for Educational Attainment and Economic Mobility

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 10 November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

Funder Deadline: 17 November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 31 July 2026

Contact: globalengagementoffice@admin.cam.ac.uk

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 03 September 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 25 September 2026

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

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

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

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

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

Contact: Globalhumanities@admin.cam.ac.uk

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 18 October 2026

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

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

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

[Join the BA ECRN here]

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

Objectives of the ECR network

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

Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament

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

• New Towns: Bricks and Mortar | Lords Built Environment Committee | 13 July 2026
• Scrutiny of the draft Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement | Transport Committee | 23 July 2026
• 'Every Child Achieving and Thriving' White Paper | Education Committee | 30 July 2026
• The future of Gaelic Broadcasting | Scottish Affairs Committee | 31 July 2026
• Global Health | International Development Committee | 04 September 2026

• Deterrence in an age of Russian aggression | National Security Strategy Committee | 08 July 2026 (relevant disciplines: Diplomacy and International Relations, History, Law, War Studies)
• Article 2 of the Protocol/Windsor Framework | Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee | 09 July 2026 (relevant disciplines: Diplomacy and International Relations, History, Law)
• Multilateralism | International Relations and Defence Committee | 20 July 2026 (relevant disciplines: Development Studies and Area Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, History, Law, War Studies)
• The relationship between the Government and the defence industry | Industry and Regulators Committee | 21 July 2026 (relevant disciplines: Architecture and Design, Development Studies and Area Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Law, Science and Technology Studies, War Studies)

• Electronic voting | Procedure Committee | No date (relevant disciplines: History, Law, Philosophy, Political Theory)
• International Development Committee | No date (relevant disciplines: Development Studies and Area Studies)

05 June to 10 July 2026

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

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

12 July 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: Projects should aim to:

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

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

Collaborations can involve:

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Open deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 23 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 08 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 31 July 2026

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 09 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

Funder Deadline: TBC, February 2027

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

Award: Up to £500

Funder Deadline: 02 July 2026

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 21 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

Funder Deadline: 28 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

Funder Deadline: 01 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

We fund research into the: 

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

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

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

• AI, Digital and Technology
• National Security and Resilience
• Infrastructure, Planning and Land Use, including Clean Energy Industries
• Health and Life Sciences
• Education, Children and Young People
• Criminal Justice
• Place-Based Economic Growth

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 09 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 15 August 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 01 September 2026, SHSS internal deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Award: Up to £500,000

Funder Deadline: 05 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 30 June 2026

Contact: pif@csap.cam.ac.uk

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

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

Funder Deadline: 31 July 2026

Contact: globalengagementoffice@admin.cam.ac.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 25 September 2026

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

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

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

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

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

Contact: Globalhumanities@admin.cam.ac.uk

The Research Funding Development Team (Research Office) has created two new resources to support research grant applicants with their proposals: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Environmental Sustainability in Research and Innovation.  

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: this resource is a starting point to explore institutional and national contexts and includes reflective questions which consider EDI matters arising from different aspects of research. 
• Environmental Sustainability:  this resource outlines the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice, and offers guidance, reflective questions, tools, frameworks and links to other resources. It is aimed at helping researchers and professional services staff integrate sustainable research practices from the early stages of proposal planning. 

These two documents can be found on the Research Office website in the Resource library alongside other topics including Research Culture.   
You can access these resources independently or contact researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk for further support.

The European Research Executive Agency (REA) invites experts from a wide range of fields to register in the European Commission’s experts database.
 
From this database, we select candidates with the most suitable profile to evaluate proposals for funding and monitor the implementation of ongoing funded projects under the following programmes:

• Horizon Europe
• Promotion of Agricultural Products
• Research Fund for Coal and Steel

• Cultural heritage (e.g. curation, restoration, conservation, 3D reconstruction, digital humanities)
• Creative industries, collective memory, cultural tourism
• Archaeology, artefacts, museology
• Citizen science, citizen participation, youth participation
• Social innovation (e.g. educational strategies, open innovation, knowledge transfer, commercial take-up)
• Communication and marketing (general)
• Communication and marketing of agricultural products (e.g. promotional strategies, market research, public relations, advertising)
• International cooperation (e.g. globalisation, diplomacy, global governance, international relations)
• Fight against disinformation/misinformation, press freedom, media studies
• Radicalisation (e.g. terrorism, extremism, hate crimes, homophobia)
• Migration and integration (e.g. human rights, conflict resolution/management, peacebuilding)
• European identity, European studies, political science, political philosophy
• Democratisation, solidarity, polarisation, elections, populism, corruption
• Social inclusion, labour market, robotisation, ageing, lifelong learning, econometrics
• Sociological dimensions of technological and policy developments, including ethical, gender, cultural, governance aspects
• Open science (e.g. open data, open source, interdisciplinary research)
• Digital literacy (e.g. digital services, digital transformation, digital governance, digital democracy, user-centric services)

• Forestry, wildfire prevention, forest management and ecosystems
• Drivers and indicators of soil health and land degradation
• Co-creation of public and private solutions for soil health protection and restoration
• Relationship between safe food systems and soil health
• Remote sensing, spatial planning, ocean observation/monitoring/modelling, maritime spatial planning
• Biodiversity, ecosystems
• Nature-based solutions
• Pollution (e.g. zero pollution, pollution removal, carbon cycle, water security)
• Seismology

• Sustainable agriculture, aquaculture, and food systems
• Climate-smart farms and forests, climate resilience
• Digitalisation in farming (e.g. precision agriculture, remote sensing/GIS for sustainable farms, fisheries, food supply chains)
• Innovative finance options for soil health, sustainable land use, and new value chains/products
• Lifecycle assessment and analysis
• Circular economy, food waste, sustainable packaging, value chains

• Law enforcement (e.g. border security, crime)
• Civil protection
• e-Government, open government
• Ethical dimension of scientific research

• Earth observation and digital technologies (AI, IoT)
• Cybersecurity, sensors, UAVs/drones
• Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials
• Blockchain, cloud computing, big data, data interoperability, data mining, data visualisation, digital twins, 3D printing, 3D modelling
• Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, deep learning, augmented reality, virtual reality
• Nanotechnologies
• Electric propulsion and electric vehicle batteries
• Physics

SMAR3TS is a large, EU-funded consortium on resilience, restoration, and regeneration across domains, such as nutrition, mobility, energy, and housing.  
 

• Do you want to go abroad for research? ​Select a theme from the I3X challenges, select and contact a partner across the global partner network, receive 2710Euros/month to support your travel and accommodation
• Do you want to host visiting colleagues from the consortium in Cambridge to work collaboratively on research? Develop an I3X in alignment with IfM Engage
• Do you want to support seminars, research initiatives, and ongoing collaborative projects aligned with the project aims? SMAR3TS might be able to help.

• Want to know more? See attached slides, watch this video, visit the website and FAQ
   
  Are you interested? Get in touch with Dr Letizia Mortara (lm367@cam.ac.uk) 

Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament

Fiscal devolution in England
NEW OPPORTUNITY: The Economic Affairs Committee is launching an inquiry into fiscal devolution in England. The inquiry will consider what form fiscal devolution might take, its distributional consequences, and what governance arrangements might be needed as more powers are devolved to local areas. The committee has issued a call for written evidence and will be taking oral evidence from May 2025.

Deadline to submit evidence: 05 June 2026
Relevant disciplines: Archaeology, Architecture and Design, Creative Industries, Culture and Museum Studies, Development Studies and Area Studies, Drama and Theatre Studies, Geography, Heritage Studies, History, Law, Music, Philosophy, Political Theory, Visual Arts


Financial sustainability of the British Council
NEW OPPORTUNITY: The British Council is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Founded 90 years ago, the Council has a well-established history in promoting UK culture, education and the English language across the globe.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the British Council saw a steep fall in its revenues as it was forced to suspend many of its income-generating activities, such as English language teaching. In response, the FCDO provided the British Council with a loan, of which around £197m remains outstanding. The current loan term comes to an end in September 2026; however, the Council has indicated it is unlikely to be able to pay back the remaining balance under the current arrangements.

The National Audit Office (NAO) will publish the findings of its investigation into the financial sustainability of the British Council in summer 2026.

The investigation is likely to examine the current financial position of the British Council and its relationship with the FCDO. Following the publication, the PAC will hear from senior officials at the FCDO and the British Council to discuss the reports key findings.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has a long-standing interest in how government tackles error and fraud. The PAC found in 2023 that large gaps remained in government’s understanding of its exposure to the risks of fraud and corruption against it. The Treasury Select Committee (TSC) looked at HMRC’s intervention in this area in November 2025, criticising the tax authority’s approach as cavalier. The TSC found that HMRC removed employment checks when expanding the use of flight data to detect child benefit fraud, after which 23,794 claimants had their payments suspended.

The National Audit Office (NAO) publishes its independent assessment into HMRC’s child benefit fraud-and-error intervention in summer 2026.

Proceeding from the NAO’s investigation, which will examine the intervention in detail and what lessons have been learned from it, the PAC will hear from witnesses including senior HMRC officials as it examines how the risks and complexities associated with trialling new methods of tackling fraud and error can be managed by government.

• lessons from similar temporary arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as impacts on other procedures of the House. Political and constitutional historians may have useful insight;
• the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics, and the general impact of electronic voting on other procedures of the House. Lawyers and constitutional legal scholars may have useful insight;
• potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Philosophers working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight;
• potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Political theorists working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight.

No deadline to submit evidence.

Relevant disciplines: History, Law, Philosophy, Political Theory

02 June 2026, 15:00 to 16:30
Online, no registration required

The call for the new ERC Plus Grants will open on June 2, and this second webinar will provide further guidance and address outstanding points.

Join ERC President Maria Leptin and Philippe Cupers, Head of the Scientific Management Department, for an overview of the scheme, including scope, objectives, eligibility, and evaluation. Moderated by Martin Penny, Head of Communications at the ERCEA.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions. 

You can also revisit the first webinar and explore the clustered Q&A for additional insights.

04 June 2026, 09:00 to 11:00
Online, no registration required

With the share of lump sum calls and topics in Horizon Europe increasing each year, applicants interested in learning more about this funding approach are strongly encouraged to participate in this or future events that form part of the Commission’s wider information campaign on lump sum funding.

Furthermore, lump sum funding is expected to become the default funding approach in the next next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10), also called Horizon Europe (2028-2034).

Where can I find out more about lump sum funding in Horizon Europe?
Further information about lump sums in Horizon Europe can be found on the Commission’s dedicated website.

This section of the Funding & Tenders Portal includes links to useful guides, Q&A and tips from participants in lump sum projects.

Programme outline
(UK time)

09:00 – Welcome and agenda
09:10 – Lump Sum Funding in Horizon Europe: How does it work? How to write a lump sum proposal?
09:45 – Practical experience with lump sum grants.
Panel discussion with invited guests moderated by Andreia CHICOS (RTD.H3)
10:15 – Coffee break
10:20 – Q&A session
11:00 – End of the meeting

Technical specifications
The event is free of charge and registration is not required. It will be webstreamed live on the event page via You Tube. Participants will be able to ask questions via Slido. The presentation slides and video recording will be available on the event page after the event.

08 June 2026, 10:00 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

The UK National Contact Point for the European Research Council (ERC), is organising a webinar for researchers who are interested in applying for the 2026 ERC Advanced Grant call (ERC-2026-AdG).

Attendance will be free of charge, but registration for each webinar is required.  The webinar will provide information on the submission process, how proposals are evaluated and other elements you'll need to consider when designing a project for your research excellence idea. 

Also joining is, is Professor Adam Carter from the University of Glasgow who will share details of his journey towards getting an ERC Advanced grant.

The session will last 2 hours with a break midway through. The overall aim of this webinar is to provide participants with detailed, practical information about the ERC Advanced Grant scheme. 

Participants should gain a deeper understanding of the proposal format and the key issues they are required to address in planning, writing and costing a proposal. The evaluation procedure and how to approach writing an application will also be explained. 

18 June 2026, 10:00 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

The scheme implements doctoral programmes by partnerships of organisations from different sectors across Europe and beyond to train highly skilled doctoral candidates, stimulate their creativity, enhance their innovation capacities and boost their employability in the long-term.

These doctoral programmes will respond to well-identified needs in various research and innovation areas, expose the researchers to the academic and non-academic sectors, and offer research training, as well as transferable skills and competences relevant for innovation and long-term employability.

Aim of the event
The webinar aims to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the call, including the eligibility criteria, budget, and other points for consideration.

Who should attend?
The event is aimed at researchers and other staff in UK academic and non-academic organisations, including industry and funding organisations, who are interested in the MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 Call.

Programme outline
The webinar will cover the following topics:

• Overview and Eligibility Rules
• Funding
• Novelties 2026-2027 Work Programme
• Submission and Evaluation Criteria
• Question and Answer Session

19 June 2026, 10:30 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

The British Academy will be holding its next webinar for UK-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences interested in applying for European Research Council (ERC) grants on Friday, 19 June, from 10:30-12:00 (BST). This webinar will focus on the ERC Advanced Grants 2026 Call, which will open on 28 May 2026.  

The webinar will be led by Professor Patrick Haggard FBA and British Academy Fellows who have experience with ERC Grants and panels. 

The aim of the webinar is to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the proposal and evaluation format and the key issues they are required to address in planning, writing, and costing a proposal. 

There is an opportunity to have your B1 draft proposal reviewed by the panel. If selected, your B1 proposal will be discussed during the webinar (all names and personal details will be removed). Please note that the webinar will not be recorded. Please note that not all B1 proposals will be reviewed; however, the guidance provided is designed to benefit all attendees. 

If you would like to attend the webinar, please register using the form linked below by Thursday, 18 June at 12:00 (noon).

If you would like to submit a B1 draft proposal to be considered for feedback during the webinar, please register your interest on the registration form and send your B1 draft to Barbora Krasova (b.krasova@thebritishacademy.ac.uk) no later than Thursday, 4 June 12:00 (noon).

Please note that, as outlined above, it is not guaranteed that all B1 proposals will be reviewed. 

26 June 2026

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has announced that the Expert Review for the Second Order Draft of the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities is now open until 3 July 2026.

If you would like to apply to be a reviewer, you can read more about the role here and register online here.

30 June 2026, 11:00 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

Find out why getting a free ORCID iD and populating your ORCID record is key for researchers to get credit for their work.
 
ORCID is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals to use as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. Obtaining an ORCID iD and populating your profile helps achieve the vision where all who participate in research, scholarship, and innovation are uniquely identified and connected to their contributions across disciplines, borders, and time.
 
Your ORCID iD and profile can help you save time and get credit for your work in funding, publishing, and research reporting workflows. Funding organisations, publishers, and research institutions are increasingly requiring or asking for ORCID iDs from researchers.
 
In this workshop, we will include:

• An overview of the benefits of ORCID for researchers
• How ORCID can help you save time across the research landscape
• Demonstrate the latest enhancements from ORCID
• Show you how to keep your ORCID record up to date
• Answer any questions

30 June 2026, 11:00 to 12:00
Online [REGISTER HERE]

Find out why getting a free ORCID iD and populating your ORCID record is key for researchers to get credit for their work.
 
ORCID is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for individuals to use as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. Obtaining an ORCID iD and populating your profile helps achieve the vision where all who participate in research, scholarship, and innovation are uniquely identified and connected to their contributions across disciplines, borders, and time.
 
Your ORCID iD and profile can help you save time and get credit for your work in funding, publishing, and research reporting workflows. Funding organisations, publishers, and research institutions are increasingly requiring or asking for ORCID iDs from researchers.
 
In this workshop, we will include:

• An overview of the benefits of ORCID for researchers
• How ORCID can help you save time across the research landscape
• Demonstrate the latest enhancements from ORCID
• Show you how to keep your ORCID record up to date
• Answer any questions

Summary: Your actual programme or proposed programme of activities should reflect your prior knowledge and experience and be designed to support your longer-term research career aspirations.

Your application must demonstrate a realistic and practicable programme of work. Some suggested activities which could be included are as follows, but it is important to note that you are not expected to complete all activities on this list:

• producing publications in order to help establish track record
• engaging with a range of different audiences to communicate research findings
• building networks to develop impact opportunities and inform and support further development
• collaborating with users through an internship or placement to help develop professional and transferrable skills and understanding of users’ organisations, provided they are an integral part of the fellowship
• further training to improve research and related skills
• developing funding proposals
• teaching, if this is aligned with the wider purposes of the fellowship (up to a maximum of six hours per week)
• research visits to internationally leading research organisations, either in the UK or abroad, for the purposes of research collaboration, training, and access to data or other resources not available at your host organisation.

New research cannot be funded through these fellowships.

Award: There’s no maximum limit but fellowships can only include the following costs: salary costs of the fellow; indirect costs; estate costs; up to a maximum of £7,500 for all other costs. The duration of this award is up to nine months full-time, or up to 18 months part-time. The duration of part-time awards should be pro-rated based on the fellow’s time commitment. Fellowships must start on 1 October 2026. We will consider requests for later start dates in exceptional circumstances.

Funder Deadline: 01 June 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: information@cam-dtp.ac.uk

Summary: Connect awards foster connections between researchers to scope, seed and grow emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. The opportunity provides a space for early collaboration on ideas within and beyond the social sciences that are novel, exploratory and high-risk, helping to build the foundations for future strategically important research and innovation.

We will be looking for applications that bring researchers together, forming new collaborations across disciplines, or bringing together different fields of research to develop high-risk, exploratory or unconventional research ideas and approaches.

The size and length of awards will give researchers from different backgrounds the space to test the potential of emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. Proposals should outline how collaborations will be developed and new areas of inquiry tested, for example, by applying ideas or methodologies from one field to another to stimulate new insights and challenge existing assumptions.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months, with projects expected to start on 1 October 2026. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £150,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 10 June 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 23 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 08 October 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

NEWS: ERC Scientific Council readjusts rules for reapplication

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

RESOURCE: Horizon Europe National Contact Points Portal

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 09 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

Funder Deadline: TBC, likely October/November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Summary: All applications should demonstrate that Academy funds are sought for a clearly defined, discrete piece of research, which will have an identifiable outcome on completion of the Academy-funded component of the research. The first recourse for funding should be to your own institution (where applicable).

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

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

Funder Deadline: 21 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

Funder Deadline: 28 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

We fund research into the: 

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

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

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

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

Summary: Designed to provide support for emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration between 3 and 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Beyond participation: Route into sport for girls and women
REMINDER: The Women and Equalities Committee will examine different ways women and girls can be involved in sport beyond participating as athletes, players and competitors.

It will consider coaching, sports science, officiating as referees and umpires, roles in club administration and sports governance, plus access to sports journalism and broadcasting. The inquiry will explore access from grassroots level and pathways to professional and elite careers. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 08 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Geography, Law, Media and Communication Studies


Neuroscience and digital childhoods
REMINDER: Exposure to digital technologies is an everyday experience for children, in how they play, learn, and connect with their families, friends and wider society. This exposure results in a complex picture of benefits and risks related to children’s physical and cognitive development and physical and mental health. There is a lot of data about device use and online habits but how the use of a wide range of digital devices affects development in childhood and adolescence is less clear.

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is launching an inquiry into neuroscience and digital childhoods to examine the impact of digital devices on brain development, as well as physical impacts, the differences between devices and uses, and the differing impacts on those of different ages and from different backgrounds.

Deadline to submit evidence: 10 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Education, Geography, Law, Linguistics, Media and Communication Studies, Science and Technology Studies


The transition from child to adult health and social care services
REMINDER: The Health and Social Care Committee has established and commissioned a politically impartial panel of experts to conduct an evaluation – independently of the Committee – of the services provided to individuals moving from child to adult health and social care. The Expert Panel will produce a report after each evaluation which will be sent to the Committee to review and undertake follow-up work. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 10 May 2026


Security, safety and protest: the role of Human Rights
REMINDER: The Joint Committee on Human Rights has launched a new inquiry to examine recent changes to laws relating to protest. 

In recent years, Parliament has passed legislation to give police more powers to police and restrict protest. New criminal offences have been established for protest related activities. The Government has argued that the growth of protests in recent years had placed an intolerable pressure on police resources. It also cited the changing nature of protest, with an increase in “guerilla tactics” causing unacceptable levels of disruption to wider society and fear in targeted communities. 

Civil liberties organisations and protest groups have criticised the measures for restricting the right to protest, warning that the crackdown on protest and harsh new powers that treats the peaceful expression of dissent as a criminal act. 

In this new inquiry, the Joint Committee on Human Rights will examine if the Government has struck the right balance between its duty to protect the public and its duty to respect the right to protest. It will also examine the reforms meet the UK’s human rights obligations. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 13 May 2026
Relevant discipline: History, Law, Media and Communication Studies, Philosophy, Political Theory, Science and Technology Studies, Visual Arts


Investment in research infrastructure
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Government has an ambition for the UK to be “one of the top three places in the world to create, invest in and scale-up a fast-growing technology business by 2035”. Overseen by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will be central to achieving this aim. UKRI is responsible for almost all of the UK’s research and innovation facilities and equipment, and spent £1.2bn on building, maintaining and upgrading research infrastructure in 2024-25.  

In 2025, a report from the Public Accounts Committee warned there was a lack of clearly defined objectives for UKRI making it difficult for DSIT to hold it accountable. The report also warned that UKRI was reliant on outdated IT systems and was unable to demonstrate how it monitors and manages its risk appetite in relation to its investment portfolio.  

The National Audit Office’s (NAO) 2026 report found that although UKRI and DSIT appear to have a clearer understanding of future infrastructure requirements, they have been too slow in replacing the UK’s supercomputers. The report also warned that UKRI is not carrying out enough maintenance to keep its estate in an acceptable condition. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 14 May 2026
 

Low-energy computing
NEW OPPORTUNITY: AI model sizes and data volumes are growing significantly. At the same time, areas like quantum computing and protein synthesis also require increasing amounts of computational power.

This trend is exerting increasing demands on energy supplies, and it has been suggested that new innovations in silicon photonics and neuromorphic computing could offer a solution. 

The Science, Innovation and Technology committee is examining how realistic a possibility this is, when breakthroughs might be expected to take place and what the government is doing to support research and innovation activity in this area.

This inquiry has been launched following pitches made to the committee as part of its Under the Microscope initiative. 

We are interested in practical approaches that have worked in real world situations, and would be interested in hearing from any person or organisation with examples that they believe are scalable and cost effective to motivate and support adults in navigating personal financial decisions, managing their health and succeeding in their work lives.

The Public Accounts Committee published a report in June 2025 which highlighted the competing priorities for government when supporting industries, such as steel, whilst also working within the constraints of existing policies, such as those designed to support decarbonisation. The Committee called for greater transparency on how decisions are made in such circumstances, and for government to set out the measures it will take to ensure it can respond effectively to emerging issues that affect UK businesses. 

A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) found government has spent £377m on its intervention so far, with no clear end date or exit strategy. The report also stated that the intervention has not stabilised the company’s finances, and costs will continue to increase until the intervention has ended. Proceeding from the NAO report, the Committee will take evidence from senior government officials on topics including current operations, as well as future concerns and risks. The Committee also plans to hear from who are dependent on the successful delivery of the Government’s intervention. 

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) previously reported on the government's deal with EDF to construct a nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, the site with Sizewell C will be based on. The PAC were concerned that that government's negotiations were not championing the interests of consumers, who might be locked into an expensive deal for decades, and warned that the poorest would likely be the hardest hit. In its response, the Government accepted all of the PAC’s recommendations and stated the actions it planned to take in response. 

The National Audit Office (NAO) will publish its report on Sizewell C in spring 2026. Following the NAO’s investigation, which is likely to examine the government’s current spend, as well as the potential risks to achieving value for taxpayer’s money, the PAC will hear from senior officials at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Sizewell C on the reports key findings. 

Deadline to submit evidence: 18 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Law


Tourism
REMINDER: The inquiry, which will cover both domestic and international tourism, will explore how the UK promotes itself overseas, the role of culture and heritage in attracting visitors and how the UK competes with other destinations.

The Office for National Statistics estimated that tourism in the UK accounted for £58 billion of economic output in 2023, while 2024 was the first year since the COVID-19 pandemic that visitor numbers have exceeded 2019 levels.

With the Government setting an ambition for overseas visitor numbers to rise from 42.5 million in 2024 to 50 million by 2030, the inquiry will consider whether its current policies are supporting the growth, international competitiveness and long-term resilience of the sector.

The inquiry will also examine the impact of policy changes, including the proposal to give mayors powers to charge an overnight levy, alongside wider challenges such as energy price inflation and rising employment costs.

MPs will also investigate the sector’s recovery from the pandemic and the effectiveness of the DCMS’s work with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and devolved administrations.

The Business and Trade Committee therefore wishes to assess the delivery and expected benefits of the Government’s EU reset to date, and to examine whether the current approach is the right model to achieve the UK’s aims.

Deadline to submit evidence: 18 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Creative Industries, Diplomacy and International Relations, Drama and Theatre Studies, Law, Music, Visual Arts

Since that report, the Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) framework has been extended through a Technology Prosperity Deal (TPD) and an agreement on pharmaceutical tariffs. The Committee invites evidence on what has been delivered, and the priorities for future UK-US collaboration.

Deadline to submit evidence: 18 May 2026
Relevant disciplines: Diplomacy and International Relations, Law

This inquiry will explore how HM Treasury influences the Government’s approach to climate change, nature loss and environmental sustainability through economic policy, appraisal frameworks and funding decisions. It will also assess the extent to which these objectives are reflected in practice, including whether climate, nature and environmental sustainability are recognised as contributors to long term growth and resilience. In addition, the inquiry will consider how effectively climate and environment related risks and opportunities are assessed within economic and fiscal decisions, and what impact HM Treasury has in addressing them.https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/letter/2024/mpc-letter-remit-2024.pdf

Remit for the Monetary Policy Committee

Read the call for evidence for more information about this inquiry, and to find out how to submit written evidence through the Committee's online evidence submission portal.

Almost 30 years later, however, reconciliation remains one of the most complex aspects of the peace process. Following our inquiry into the legacy of the past, we have agreed to examine societal reconciliation in greater depth, recognising the significance of reconciliation both within and, crucially, beyond the framework of legacy legislation.

Read our call for evidence here for more detail about the inquiry and how to contribute your views.

The National Audit Office (NAO) will publish the findings of its report into Regulating water, energy and broadband to protect consumers in summer 2026.

The NAO is likely consider if regulators are meetings customer experience expectations and how they are protecting customers at higher risk of experiencing harm or detriment. Following the publication, the PAC will hear from senior officials at the key regulatory bodies Ofcom, Ofwat and Ofgem on the findings of the report, as well as consumer rights groups.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the British Council saw a steep fall in its revenues as it was forced to suspend many of its income-generating activities, such as English language teaching. In response, the FCDO provided the British Council with a loan, of which around £197m remains outstanding. The current loan term comes to an end in September 2026; however, the Council has indicated it is unlikely to be able to pay back the remaining balance under the current arrangements.

The National Audit Office (NAO) will publish the findings of its investigation into the financial sustainability of the British Council in summer 2026.

The investigation is likely to examine the current financial position of the British Council and its relationship with the FCDO. Following the publication, the PAC will hear from senior officials at the FCDO and the British Council to discuss the reports key findings.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has a long-standing interest in how government tackles error and fraud. The PAC found in 2023 that large gaps remained in government’s understanding of its exposure to the risks of fraud and corruption against it. The Treasury Select Committee (TSC) looked at HMRC’s intervention in this area in November 2025, criticising the tax authority’s approach as cavalier. The TSC found that HMRC removed employment checks when expanding the use of flight data to detect child benefit fraud, after which 23,794 claimants had their payments suspended.

The National Audit Office (NAO) publishes its independent assessment into HMRC’s child benefit fraud-and-error intervention in summer 2026.

Proceeding from the NAO’s investigation, which will examine the intervention in detail and what lessons have been learned from it, the PAC will hear from witnesses including senior HMRC officials as it examines how the risks and complexities associated with trialling new methods of tackling fraud and error can be managed by government.

• lessons from similar temporary arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as impacts on other procedures of the House. Political and constitutional historians may have useful insight;
• the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics, and the general impact of electronic voting on other procedures of the House. Lawyers and constitutional legal scholars may have useful insight;
• potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Philosophers working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight;
• potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Political theorists working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight.

No deadline to submit evidence.

Relevant disciplines: History, Law, Philosophy, Political Theory

Led by Professor Mónica Moreno Figueroa (University of Cambridge, Director of GRIST), this session invites participants to reflect on the personal, political, academic, and emotional realities of researching and living with racism, classism, sexism, ableism, and other intersecting injustices.

Through collective listening, guided reflection, and an embodied movement practice led by choreographer Bim Malcomson, participants will explore connection, collaboration, and new ways of thinking together.

A unique opportunity to deepen collective engagement, strengthen ethical scholarship, and build community.

This workshop is about recognising creative impulses in oneself and others and learning how to make space for playful self-expression despite the pressures. We will (1) demystify what it is to be creative in academia; (2) share our projects, ideas and fantasies; (3) imagine actionable plans on how to create a creative community at your institution.

The session will be facilitated by Anatoliii Kozlov, a scientist-turned-philosopher and a creative practitioner. In the past two years, he facilitated TheCultureLab project at the PDN and CST Departments.

“The depth of the conversations: I never spoke with anyone from the
Department on that level” – participant of TheCultureLab

Tea, coffee and snacks will be served.

The DAAD-University of Cambridge Research Hub for German Studies works closely together with the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG - German Research Foundation).
 
The DFG is the central self-governing research funding organisation in Germany. The DFG serves the sciences and humanities and promotes research of the highest quality in all its forms and disciplines at universities and non-university research institutions. The focus is on funding projects developed by the academic community itself in the area of knowledge-driven research. DFG takes particular care to promote international cooperation, early career researchers, gender equality and diversity in science and the humanities and supports international cooperation in all its funding programmes.
 
On 12 May, DFG colleagues will hold an information session to give a short overview about funding opportunities for international collaboration within the DFG funding portfolio, concluding with a Q&A session on UK-German research cooperation. We are also delighted to welcome Andreas Hoeschen, Director of the DAAD London Office, who will outline DAAD funding opportunities beyond the Cambridge DAAD Hub.
 
The event will take place at 15:30 on 12 May in the General Board Room at the Old Schools (please go to the reception at the Old Schools).
 
Please register for the event via Eventbrite and please note there are only 21 spaces available. Please also send this on to anyone you think might have an interest in attending the event.

The UK National Contact Point for the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is holding an information webinar for organisations and individuals interested in applying to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call (opening date: 9 April 2026, and deadline: 9 September 2026).

The webinar aims to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the call, including the eligibility criteria, budget, and other points for consideration.

The event is aimed at researchers and other staff in UK academic and non-academic organisations, including industry and funding organisations, who are interested in the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call.

Programme outline

The webinar will cover the following topics:

• Overview and Eligibility Rules
• Funding
• Novelties 2026-2027 Work Programme
• Submission and Evaluation Criteria
• Question and Answer Session

With the share of lump sum calls and topics in Horizon Europe increasing each year, applicants interested in learning more about this funding approach are strongly encouraged to participate in this or future events that form part of the Commission’s wider information campaign on lump sum funding.

Furthermore, lump sum funding is expected to become the default funding approach in the next next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10), also called Horizon Europe (2028-2034).

Where can I find out more about lump sum funding in Horizon Europe?
Further information about lump sums in Horizon Europe can be found on the Commission’s dedicated website.

This section of the Funding & Tenders Portal includes links to useful guides, Q&A and tips from participants in lump sum projects.

Programme outline
(UK time)

09:00 – Welcome and agenda
09:10 – Lump Sum Funding in Horizon Europe: How does it work? How to write a lump sum proposal?
09:45 – Practical experience with lump sum grants.
Panel discussion with invited guests moderated by Andreia CHICOS (RTD.H3)
10:15 – Coffee break
10:20 – Q&A session
11:00 – End of the meeting

Technical specifications
The event is free of charge and registration is not required. It will be webstreamed live on the event page via You Tube. Participants will be able to ask questions via Slido. The presentation slides and video recording will be available on the event page after the event.

The UK National Contact Point for the European Research Council (ERC), is organising a webinar for researchers who are interested in applying for the 2026 ERC Advanced Grant call (ERC-2026-AdG).

Attendance will be free of charge, but registration for each webinar is required.  The webinar will provide information on the submission process, how proposals are evaluated and other elements you'll need to consider when designing a project for your research excellence idea. 

Also joining is, is Professor Adam Carter from the University of Glasgow who will share details of his journey towards getting an ERC Advanced grant.

The session will last 2 hours with a break midway through. The overall aim of this webinar is to provide participants with detailed, practical information about the ERC Advanced Grant scheme. 

Participants should gain a deeper understanding of the proposal format and the key issues they are required to address in planning, writing and costing a proposal. The evaluation procedure and how to approach writing an application will also be explained. 

The scheme implements doctoral programmes by partnerships of organisations from different sectors across Europe and beyond to train highly skilled doctoral candidates, stimulate their creativity, enhance their innovation capacities and boost their employability in the long-term.

These doctoral programmes will respond to well-identified needs in various research and innovation areas, expose the researchers to the academic and non-academic sectors, and offer research training, as well as transferable skills and competences relevant for innovation and long-term employability.

Aim of the event
The webinar aims to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the call, including the eligibility criteria, budget, and other points for consideration.

Who should attend?
The event is aimed at researchers and other staff in UK academic and non-academic organisations, including industry and funding organisations, who are interested in the MSCA Doctoral Networks 2026 Call.

Programme outline
The webinar will cover the following topics:

• Overview and Eligibility Rules
• Funding
• Novelties 2026-2027 Work Programme
• Submission and Evaluation Criteria
• Question and Answer Session

The British Academy will be holding its next webinar for UK-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences interested in applying for European Research Council (ERC) grants on Friday, 19 June, from 10:30-12:00 (BST). This webinar will focus on the ERC Advanced Grants 2026 Call, which will open on 28 May 2026.  

The webinar will be led by Professor Patrick Haggard FBA and British Academy Fellows who have experience with ERC Grants and panels. 

The aim of the webinar is to provide participants with a deeper understanding of the proposal and evaluation format and the key issues they are required to address in planning, writing, and costing a proposal. 

There is an opportunity to have your B1 draft proposal reviewed by the panel. If selected, your B1 proposal will be discussed during the webinar (all names and personal details will be removed). Please note that the webinar will not be recorded. Please note that not all B1 proposals will be reviewed; however, the guidance provided is designed to benefit all attendees. 

If you would like to attend the webinar, please register using the form linked below by Thursday, 18 June at 12:00 (noon).

If you would like to submit a B1 draft proposal to be considered for feedback during the webinar, please register your interest on the registration form and send your B1 draft to Barbora Krasova (b.krasova@thebritishacademy.ac.uk) no later than Thursday, 4 June 12:00 (noon).

Please note that, as outlined above, it is not guaranteed that all B1 proposals will be reviewed. 

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

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept Opportunity aims to:

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

Award: Up to £150,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the fEC for projects up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open call

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: Connect awards foster connections between researchers to scope, seed and grow emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. The opportunity provides a space for early collaboration on ideas within and beyond the social sciences that are novel, exploratory and high-risk, helping to build the foundations for future strategically important research and innovation.

We will be looking for applications that bring researchers together, forming new collaborations across disciplines, or bringing together different fields of research to develop high-risk, exploratory or unconventional research ideas and approaches.

The size and length of awards will give researchers from different backgrounds the space to test the potential of emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. Proposals should outline how collaborations will be developed and new areas of inquiry tested, for example, by applying ideas or methodologies from one field to another to stimulate new insights and challenge existing assumptions.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months, with projects expected to start on 1 October 2026. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £150,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: Submit an expression of interest to attend a two‑day in‑person sandpit in Manchester on 23 to 24 June 2026 to develop high-level ideas on AI‑supported social science using UKRI data. The sandpit will bring together around 40 experts to co‑create proposals to UKRI.

Award: After the sandpit, participants will be invited to submit applications for projects of up to £230,000 FEC. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 12 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this opportunity will be:

• to identify a team and host institution to lead Northern Ireland Assembly and UK General Election studies in Northern Ireland between 2026 and 2036
• to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election and the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Northern Ireland

ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

• produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
• promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
• collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: 14 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this funding opportunity will be:

• to identify a team and host institution to lead the British Election Study (BES) between 2027 and 2037.
• to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Great Britain, and surveys aligned to local elections.

Our objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

• produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
• promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
• collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: 14 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are jointly inviting proposals for an independent, co-created What Works Centre (WWC) to identify, develop, test, and evaluate evidence-based locally delivered employment and labour market support to help people access, remain in, and thrive in work.

The What Works Centre for local employment support will focus primarily on the role and effectiveness of local and regional government levers to increase and sustain local labour force participation rates, with an emphasis on the role and effectiveness of locally-delivered active labour market policies (ALMPs) and other ‘active’ interventions aimed at achieving positive employment outcomes.

You are encouraged to adopt a whole-systems approach that drives collaboration and leverages evidence from across interconnected policy areas to improve local employment outcomes. We welcome proposals that look beyond traditional employment measures to include employment-related interventions in, for example, health, transportation, housing, and regional development, addressing the wider factors that shape people’s ability to access and sustain work.

Proposals must include team members and project partners from outside academia.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £15 million. ESRC and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding is for a single award. The project must begin by 22 January 2027 and run for 60 months.

Funder Deadline: 19 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: The aims of this opportunity are:

• to identify a National Coordinator for Round 13 and 14 of the European Social Survey (ESS) in the UK
• to deliver data collection for Round 13 and 14 of the ESS in the UK

ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

• produce high quality data that meets the requirements of the ESS European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) specification, building on the existing cross-national and time series data
• produce data that meets the needs of the UK and international research, and wider stakeholder communities , and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
• collaborate across the ESS, meeting the requirements of the ESS ERIC Specification, to deliver UK interests and enable the research wider stakeholder communities to fully utilise ESS data
• promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities in the UK, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public

By delivering the objectives ESS will support the delivery of ESRC’s Data Infrastructure Strategy. In particular within the following focus areas: building and sustaining a foundation and impact and public benefit.

Applications should clearly outline how their project objectives and work packages contribute to the above ESRC funding objectives for ESS. Applications will be assessed and prioritised based on how well they deliver the funding objectives, opportunity specification and ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,070KB).

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2,310,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC (exceptions including subcontracted social surveys are funded at 100% FEC). Funding is available for a maximum of 48 months, from August 2026.

Funder Deadline: 21 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: Apply for funding to become an Academic Lead for Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) core partners delivering better economic data.

In the current investment phase, ADR UK have worked with DWP and HMRC to facilitate secure research access to the UK-wide population interactions with employment (including self-employment), benefits and pensions (RAPID) linked dataset. This dataset is not linked to business tax returns but does allow researchers to understand the journeys and interactions between employment, self-employment, and benefit accrual and receipt.

To ensure researchers are provided with the appropriate support and advice to understand how to use this new flagship dataset, we are commissioning an academic team to provide training and user support to researchers, in line with similar training and capacity building offerings already in place for other flagship datasets. Applicants should explain how they will provide academic leadership to:

• strengthen research community capability to use flagship datasets for public good research
• represent researchers in the continuous improvement of RAPID and the wider researcher journey
• build and sustain an active, engaged community of researchers using RAPID
• expand policy relevant and impactful use of RAPID

There is a potential opportunity for inward secondment to DWP for the successful academic team, to become expert users of RAPID to support researchers and enable effective discussions with DWP around possible future developments.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2,000,000,00. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 21 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: Apply for funding to become an Academic Lead for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data First programme to facilitate and deliver new and innovative research across the justice system.

The Academic Lead(s) will be an embedded and integral member of the MoJ Data First team, acting as a critical bridge between government and academia. They will combine academic expertise with an applied understanding of justice data, justice policy contexts and TREs, working closely alongside government analysts, policy colleagues and wider stakeholders. Through this collaboration, the Academic Lead(s) will help shape and increase policy relevant, methodologically robust, and impactful research in the public good.

The Academic Lead(s) will champion the programme across the academic community while supporting MoJ to realise the full value of its linked justice datasets. This includes ensuring that:

• datasets are used to their research potential
• academic researchers are supported through their end-to-end journey from early scoping through to dissemination
• the programme remains responsive to emerging research questions, methods and user needs
• research activity is aligned with justice priorities, cross-government interests and the MoJ Areas of Research Interest (ARI, 2025)

The successful applicant(s) will provide academic leadership on the use of linked justice data to generate novel and crosscutting insights across the criminal, civil and family justice systems. Furthermore, the postholder(s) will ensure links with other public services such as education, social care and offending.

Data First flagship datasets include:

Data First: Cross-Justice System – England and Wales
Data First: Family Court linked to Cafcass and Census 2021 – England and Wales
Ministry of Justice & Department for Education linked dataset – England

As the data portfolio expands, it will provide new opportunities for research based on links with other government datasets. The Academic Lead(s) will promote the exploration and development of innovative analytical and methodological approaches enabled by linked administrative and synthetic data.

Award: The role is expected to begin in Autumn 2026. Funding is available up to March 2031. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £500,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 21 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: Your actual programme or proposed programme of activities should reflect your prior knowledge and experience and be designed to support your longer-term research career aspirations.

Your application must demonstrate a realistic and practicable programme of work. Some suggested activities which could be included are as follows, but it is important to note that you are not expected to complete all activities on this list:

• producing publications in order to help establish track record
• engaging with a range of different audiences to communicate research findings
• building networks to develop impact opportunities and inform and support further development
• collaborating with users through an internship or placement to help develop professional and transferrable skills and understanding of users’ organisations, provided they are an integral part of the fellowship
• further training to improve research and related skills
• developing funding proposals
• teaching, if this is aligned with the wider purposes of the fellowship (up to a maximum of six hours per week)
• research visits to internationally leading research organisations, either in the UK or abroad, for the purposes of research collaboration, training, and access to data or other resources not available at your host organisation.

New research cannot be funded through these fellowships.

Award: There’s no maximum limit but fellowships can only include the following costs: salary costs of the fellow; indirect costs; estate costs; up to a maximum of £7,500 for all other costs. The duration of this award is up to nine months full-time, or up to 18 months part-time. The duration of part-time awards should be pro-rated based on the fellow’s time commitment. Fellowships must start on 1 October 2026. We will consider requests for later start dates in exceptional circumstances.

Funder Deadline: 01 June 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: information@cam-dtp.ac.uk

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

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

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

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

There are 2 types of Postdoctoral Fellowships:

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 09 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

Funder Deadline: TBC, likely October/November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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.

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.

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

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

Funder Deadline: 21 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

Funder Deadline: 28 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

We fund research into the: 

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

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

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

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

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

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Summary: The University of Cambridge AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the Social Science Impact Fund (SSIF) will open during Michaelmas term. 

The overall purpose of this fund is to support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities. Awards will be made available to fund work that will significantly increase the probability of the ideas and findings generated by the research having a non-academic impact on the private, public, and third sectors. Collaborative, innovative, and co-funded projects are encouraged.  

Full information on eligible projects and the application process will be circulated as soon as possible.  

Award: Awards will be made in the region of £5,000 to £25,000, covering 100% of directly incurred costs but not indirect costs.  

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

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

Summary: Designed to provide support for emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration between 3 and 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Summary: Designed to support the establishment of new, stellar quality, visionary projects. Trustees will be looking for relevant expertise and the attainment of results in the time available. Applications could be for seed-corn funding, collecting pilot data, or similar start-up or exploratory research.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 12 months

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Summary: Designed to contribute match or top-up funding towards an externally awarded Early Career Fellowship to be held at the University. This may include salary or consumables support. Please note that the INT supports the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships under a different scheme.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 3 years.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Following a successful pilot, the Early-Mid Career Academic Mentoring Scheme will run for a second year in Easter Term 2026.
 
The scheme is designed to support early–mid career academics in their professional development, leadership capability, career confidence, and wellbeing. Mentoring conversations provide a confidential space for guided reflection, personal development, and exposure to new perspectives. Mentees will be matched with mentors from outside their department and immediate area of work, creating a supportive and impartial environment.
 
The scheme is open to prospective mentees who are staff at grades 9–10 on either a Research & Teaching or Teaching & Scholarship contract. We’re particularly keen to hear from new mentors who are Senior Academics (grade 11 and above).
 
If you are interested in being a mentee or mentor or would like to find out more, please complete this short Expression of Interest form or contact LOD@admin.cam.ac.uk. Please note that submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee a place on the scheme.

Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Contribute evidence to a select committee inquiry into: Risks and opportunities to the sustainability of data centres in the UK. The Environmental Audit Committee is interested in (among other things):

• the impact of different kinds of data centres
• whether existing and emerging technologies can be used to minimise the environmental and climate change impact of data centres
• and/or whether data centres offer opportunities in helping to power and heat local communities and amenities and what will be required to deliver benefits. Experts in architecture and design may have relevant insight for this inquiry.

• Architecture, Creative Industries, Dance, Drama and Theatre Studies, Music: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as creativity.
• Classics: Of particular interest to Classicists may be the Committee's questions about the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as oracy.
• Education: Of particular interest to researchers working from an Arts and Humanities perspective may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of children and young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as critical thinking, oracy and creativity.
• Geography: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about the ways in which AI is reshaping learning and education; whether parents, guardians and other family members have the information and support they need as AI is increasingly embedded in their children's education; whether disparities in digital literacy among adults perpetuate inequalities for children; the impact on children taught at home; whether there are any significant gaps or disparities in children and young people's access to AI-enabled tools and other digital platforms, including geographical, socio-economic or other demographic factors; and/or the evolving nature of digital risks, including addictive design features.
• Information and Communication Studies, Library and Information Studies: Of particular interest to experts in information and knowledge management may be the Committee's questions about whether there is sufficient regulation of the collection and use of children's data by companies providing AI tools and EdTech.
• Languages and Literature, Linguistics: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as creativity, critical thinking, and oracy.
• Law: Of particular interest to lawyers and legal experts may be the Committee's questions about children's digital rights, regulation of the collection and use of children's data, and safeguarding implications arising from rapidly developing technologies such as generative AI. 
• Media and Communication Studies: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as creativity and critical thinking. Experts in new media may also have relevant insight into questions around safeguarding concerns and other risks arising from rapidly-developing technology such as generative AI, algorithmic amplification and addictive design features. 
• Philosophy, Political Theory, Science and Technology Studies: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as critical thinking, as well as questions around children's digital rights, their rights to privacy and rights to participate, express themselves and access information online; protecting children from online harm; incorporation of children's voices in the development of legislation and guidance; the evolving nature of digital risks; the specific rights and needs of vulnerable groups; and/or inequalities of access and disparities in digital literacy.
• Social Anthropology: Of particular interest may be the Committee's questions about whether AI is always increasing the skills and knowledge of young people and not resulting in them being deskilled and over-reliant on tech support, and the impact on learners' cognitive abilities such as creativity, critical thinking, and oracy. Social anthropologists working on critical and/or practice-based approaches to the studies of creative and performing arts, archaeology, history, language, law, literature and/or religion may have relevant insight for this inquiry. 

• the service sector, including tourism
• how the Government does and should make decisions about economic relations with China, and questions around economic coercion, dependence, risks and security
• strategic technologies including artificial intelligence and mobile apps
• the Committee will consider the Government's decision-making framework for evaluating trade relations with China, mitigation of risks, effective measures for ensuring that forced labour is eliminated from UK supply chains, security and the potential role of export controls

• lessons from similar temporary arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as impacts on other procedures of the House. Political and constitutional historians may have useful insight;
• the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics, and the general impact of electronic voting on other procedures of the House. Lawyers and constitutional legal scholars may have useful insight;
• potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Philosophers working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight;
• potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Political theorists working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight.

No deadline to submit evidence.

Relevant disciplines: History, Law, Philosophy, Political Theory

We invite you to submit your proposal to participate in the inaugural Cambridge Climate and Nature Research Showcase, on Friday 26th June 2026 at the Ray Dolby Centre. 
 
This one‑day event aims to bring together Cambridge researchers from all disciplines addressing climate change and/or nature conservation, showcasing world‑leading research on energy, materials, infrastructure, conservation, food, health, policy, law, and more.  All researchers from postgraduates to professors across all six Schools are welcome to apply to present their research at this inaugural pan-University event.
 
Call for Proposals: Please submit your proposal by Sunday 12th April, 23.59pm.
 
Options to showcase your research:

• Lightning Talk: 3 minutes to speak, one single slide. 
• Poster: A0 in size (841 x 1189 mm), portrait orientation.
• Exhibit/Stand: allocated table/space to showcase your research group/institute's work.

Registration to attend the Showcase will open later in March.
 
Any questions or suggestions: please get in touch with the organising team at comms@zero.cam.ac.uk

 The festival aims to celebrate and shine a light on collaborative research activities, cultural knowledge exchange and all kinds of partnerships between universities and the arts and cultural sectors and the communities of interest they serve.
 
Throughout the festival we aim to:

• showcase some of the brilliant collaborations taking place between universities and the arts and culture sector and the transformative impacts of such work
• inspire fresh thinking about the values, scope and possibilities of cultural knowledge exchange and the vibrant networks and connections they foster
• encourage conversation, knowledge-sharing, discussion and debate on a host of topics, while creating opportunities for further collaboration

We hope it will inspire new ideas, spark rich discussion and encourage fresh approaches to working together. Please note, you will need to book tickets for individual festival events.

The event aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the ERC Advanced Grant scheme, offering participants the opportunity to hear first-hand experiences from ERC Grantees, Panel Members and Scientific Officers. This workshop is organised by mERCury, the NCP network for the European Research Council.More information about the network is available at: https://mercuryncp.eu/

The UK National Contact Point for the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) is holding an information webinar for organisations and individuals interested in applying to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call (opening date: 9 April 2026, and deadline: 9 September 2026).

The webinar aims to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the call, including the eligibility criteria, budget, and other points for consideration.

The event is aimed at researchers and other staff in UK academic and non-academic organisations, including industry and funding organisations, who are interested in the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 call.

Programme outline

The webinar will cover the following topics:

• Overview and Eligibility Rules
• Funding
• Novelties 2026-2027 Work Programme
• Submission and Evaluation Criteria
• Question and Answer Session

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

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept Opportunity aims to:

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

Award: Up to £150,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the fEC for projects up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open call

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: Connect awards foster connections between researchers to scope, seed and grow emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. The opportunity provides a space for early collaboration on ideas within and beyond the social sciences that are novel, exploratory and high-risk, helping to build the foundations for future strategically important research and innovation.

We will be looking for applications that bring researchers together, forming new collaborations across disciplines, or bringing together different fields of research to develop high-risk, exploratory or unconventional research ideas and approaches.

The size and length of awards will give researchers from different backgrounds the space to test the potential of emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. Proposals should outline how collaborations will be developed and new areas of inquiry tested, for example, by applying ideas or methodologies from one field to another to stimulate new insights and challenge existing assumptions.

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of six months, with projects expected to start on 1 October 2026. The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £150,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this opportunity will be:

• to identify a team and host institution to lead Northern Ireland Assembly and UK General Election studies in Northern Ireland between 2026 and 2036
• to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election and the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Northern Ireland

ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

• produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
• promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
• collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: The ESRC have announced their New Investigator Grant scheme. This scheme is suitable for early career researchers who have yet to make the transition to be an independent researcher. Proposals are welcome in any topic which falls within ESRC’s remit, including projects at the “interface with the wider sciences”, provided that social sciences accounts for at least 50% of the proposed research.
 
University Internal selection
The ESRC expect the University to run an internal selection process to ensure that we submit only bids from outstanding individuals with the potential to become the research leaders of the future. The University may only submit a limited number of applications. To meet these requirements, this call will be overseen by a cross-school Committee, as decided by University’s Research Policy Committee. 
 
There are three internal calls every year (MT, LT and ET).  Only applicants whose proposals have been approved through the internal selection process will be allowed to proceed with submission of their applications to ESRC. 
 
Interested applicants should submit an online application.   
 
You will be required to upload the following:

• Your research project proposal (template found here) 
• A letter of support from your Head of Department 
  • This letter is very important to the success of the application as it is needed to confirm the details of the departmental support and the applicant’s eligibility. The letter must also specify a department/faculty based mentor, and a reviewer, both of whom have agreed to provide feedback on the full proposal, should the applicant be selected to proceed. The reviewer may be from within or outside the applicant’s department/faculty. Please note that naming a reviewer is an internal requirement, and the reviewer will not be named on the full application to ESRC. The mentor and the named reviewer will be expected to provide feedback on the full proposal prior to submission to ESRC. This will be coordinated by the School Research Facilitator.
• A Worktribe report
  • The report should show the preliminary costing for the project, including the cost of the applicant’s salary and research assistance (if required).The costing should be created as a full project with submission set to 2150  - not a standalone costing. A UKRI Submission Report should be run. The Worktribe report should not be submitted for ROO approval at this stage; the costing is for indicative purposes only, to inform the internal selection. It will be possible to modify it after the internal selection. Please attach it as a .pdf document, rather than an Excel file. 

Award: The ESRC will award grants of between £100-350K (covered at 80%fEC).

Internal Deadline: 13 March 2026, internal selection deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any questions, please write to ESRCNewInv@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Summary: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has pre-announced their UKRI Translation: Proof of Concept call, due to open on the 4th March, to support the commercialisation of research.
 
This opportunity aims to support and accelerate the development of new or improved technologies, products, processes, and services arising from research activities. Supporting early-to-mid stage commercialisation activities that validate the development of concepts that arose from research, applications are welcomed from across all research disciplines and research councils’ remit (AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC and STFC) including cross and multi-disciplinary approaches.

This scheme aims to fund projects that are not eligible for funding applications via existing UKRI funding opportunities or those projects that have been funded by other mechanisms and that now require further de-risking at a larger scale. The programme will not support fundamental or curiosity-driven research, discovery research, the simple extension or continuity of on-going work between research grants, public engagement activities, or the filing of intellectual property, for example, patent, trademark or registered design. The full economic cost (FEC) can be up to £250,000 for 9 months duration (please note this change from the first round) with a minimum of £100,000. UKRI will fund 80% FEC. For further information, see the call webpage here.

University Internal selection:  

Please note that unlike the first round, there is no expression of interest stage for this call. The University can only submit 4 applications. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure. 

To participate in the internal selection process, please complete our online form by 19th March 2026. NB: if asked to log-in, please use your crsid/Raven details.

You will need the following documents and information to complete the online form:  

• Applicant name, department and email address
• Project title
• Project summary (maximum 800 words):
  • Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
    • the user needs and market opportunity your project addresses
    • the aims and objectives and how you are addressing this challenge
    • the proposed route to applications and markets
    • the benefits to potential users or customers
  • And briefly describe how the team has the relevant experience and right balance of skills to deliver the proposed work
• Applicant’s brief CV (maximum 3 pages): DORA principles should be considered when presenting research outputs
• A List of members of the core team and their roles
• Head of Department support letter confirming support for the application

Internal Assessment Criteria: 
Please note that the assessment of internal applications will be carried out by a specialist panel with knowledge of Proof of Concept, focussing on the following core funder criteria: 

• Opportunity: the project is timely given current trends and has the potential to address a business need, technological challenge, or exploit a market opportunity
• Route to market: how the proposed project progresses the innovation towards its intended users or markets
• Team capability to deliver: the individual or team has the relevant experience and right balance of skills to deliver the proposed work

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) can be up to £250,000 up to nine months duration. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC. We aim to support a range of projects across both the cost, length and remit permitted.

Important Dates:
UKRI Webinar: 18 March 2026 2:00pm to 3:00pm UK time (registration details TBC when call opens)
Internal selection deadline: 19th March 2026
UKRI Webinar: 25 March 2026 10:00am to 11:00am UK time (registration details TBC when call opens)
UKRI Webinar: 14 April 2026 3:00pm to 4:00pm UK time (registration details TBC when call opens)
Funder deadline: 4pm, 13th May 2026 

Internal Deadline: 19 March 2026, internal restricted call deadline

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

Summary: AHRC and Research Ireland are collaborating on a new research programme that will deliver transformational impact on creative economy research between the UK and Ireland. The programme will exploit complementary strengths in the creative economy between centres of excellence in both countries, leading to new and sustainable collaborations and strengthening world-class research and industry capacity across the UK and Irish ecosystems.

Award: Maximum £35,000. Each network must commence by 30 September 2026 and the grant will be for a fixed term of 12 months.

Funder Deadline: 24 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: This funding opportunity aims to accelerate the generation of evidence on how we can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusivity of the research and development (R&D) ecosystem. For this round, we are interested in how the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape , how to optimally design and lead research institutions; and how to measure and understand scientific progress at scale.
In this funding opportunity, we are focussing on three themes to build our metascience portfolio. Applications should fit under one of the following themes.

Science of AI for Science:
How the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape, how this helps and/or hinders scientific progress, and how governments, industry and funding organisations should respond.

Effective design and leadership of research organisations
This includes empirical comparison of institutional models, the drivers of programme manager and research performance, the application of evidence from management and behavioural science to improve organisational structures and practices in research environments, and the effectiveness of interventions to support inclusive, high-performing research cultures.

Scientometric approaches to understanding research excellence, efficiency, and equity
This includes the development, validation, and generalisable use of metrics and indicators to assess research quality, influence, and impact, the development or application of indicators to advance the curation and synthesis of science at scale, and the behavioural consequences of metric use in research evaluation and funding decisions.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £250,000 or £350,000 with an international partner. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 23 April 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: The Marie Jahoda Innovation Fund offers opportunities for the wider research community to collaborate with us to advance and complement our research programme. We are now inviting applications for the first round of funding to support innovative research projects examining digitalisation and work. Proposals should align with our research programme and relate to how digital technologies are transforming work.

Our five research themes address:
•    Digital ecosystem governance
•    Technology adoption in organisations
•    Skills development and associated employee awards
•    Understanding of how digitalisation affects healthy working lives
•    Impacts on the location of jobs, regional development and the environment

Award: Funding is available for projects which cost between £10,000 to £40,000 (full economic cost). Projects must be costed at 100% full economic cost (fEC) and will be funded at 80% fEC.  

Funder Deadline: 28 April 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Megan McMichael, Centre Manager, digit@sussex.ac.uk.

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this funding opportunity will be:

• to identify a team and host institution to lead the British Election Study (BES) between 2027 and 2037.
• to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Great Britain, and surveys aligned to local elections.

Our objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

• produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
• promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
• collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: 14 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are jointly inviting proposals for an independent, co-created What Works Centre (WWC) to identify, develop, test, and evaluate evidence-based locally delivered employment and labour market support to help people access, remain in, and thrive in work.

The What Works Centre for local employment support will focus primarily on the role and effectiveness of local and regional government levers to increase and sustain local labour force participation rates, with an emphasis on the role and effectiveness of locally-delivered active labour market policies (ALMPs) and other ‘active’ interventions aimed at achieving positive employment outcomes.

You are encouraged to adopt a whole-systems approach that drives collaboration and leverages evidence from across interconnected policy areas to improve local employment outcomes. We welcome proposals that look beyond traditional employment measures to include employment-related interventions in, for example, health, transportation, housing, and regional development, addressing the wider factors that shape people’s ability to access and sustain work.

Proposals must include team members and project partners from outside academia.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £15 million. ESRC and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will fund 80% of the FEC. Funding is for a single award. The project must begin by 22 January 2027 and run for 60 months.

Funder Deadline: 19 May 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

EU Grants Funding Newsletter

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

Funder Deadline: TBC, likely October/November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Summary: Applications for Being Human Festival 2026 are now open! Being Human Festival 2026 will take place from 5 - 14 November with the theme Crossroads. Each year we invite humanities researchers and staff from universities and research organisations to apply to take part in the festival by organising a public engagement event, activity or project. We offer two types of grants to enable events and activities to take place as part of the festival: Institutional Grants and Festival Event Grants.

Summary: Our Public Health Research (PHR) Programme invites applications in response to specific research questions. These have been identified, developed and prioritised for their importance to stakeholders including the Department of Health and Social Care and other relevant government departments, devolved administrations, policy makers, local government, commissioners of public health services, public health leaders, public health practitioners, the third sector and the general public. Funded research will evaluate the effectiveness of community interventions that support female survivors and victims of domestic abuse in mitigating physical and mental health impacts. 

Research question:
How effective are community interventions supporting female survivors and victims of domestic abuse in mitigating physical and mental health impacts?

This is a 2-stage funding opportunity. To apply for the first stage you should submit an outline application. If invited to the second stage, you will then need to complete a full application.

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.

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

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

Funder Deadline: 21 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

Funder Deadline: 28 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

We fund research into the: 

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

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

Funder Deadline: 22 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

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

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

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Summary: The University of Cambridge AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the Social Science Impact Fund (SSIF) will open during Michaelmas term. 

The overall purpose of this fund is to support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities. Awards will be made available to fund work that will significantly increase the probability of the ideas and findings generated by the research having a non-academic impact on the private, public, and third sectors. Collaborative, innovative, and co-funded projects are encouraged.  

Full information on eligible projects and the application process will be circulated as soon as possible.  

Award: Awards will be made in the region of £5,000 to £25,000, covering 100% of directly incurred costs but not indirect costs.  

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

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

Summary: Enhanced funding to deliver researcher development activities for PhD students is available to Departments and Faculties by application to support high-cost events and any activities involving external speakers or specialists.

Examples of activities funded in the past include workshops on the topics of communication and managing difficult conversations, translating research into practice, unconscious bias, self-confidence, etc.

Award: The budget for Enhanced Funding is £60k per annum. There is no specific funding envelope per round of applications); decisions will be made based on the quality of the proposals received. Expenditure and available funds will be kept under review by the central PgED team and Schools will be kept informed of progress.

Funder Deadline: 13 April 2026

Contact: Dr Sonja Tomašković at st560@cam.ac.uk

Summary: Designed to provide support for emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration between 3 and 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Summary: Designed to support the establishment of new, stellar quality, visionary projects. Trustees will be looking for relevant expertise and the attainment of results in the time available. Applications could be for seed-corn funding, collecting pilot data, or similar start-up or exploratory research.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 12 months

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Summary: Designed to contribute match or top-up funding towards an externally awarded Early Career Fellowship to be held at the University. This may include salary or consumables support. Please note that the INT supports the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships under a different scheme.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 3 years.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Following a successful pilot, the Early-Mid Career Academic Mentoring Scheme will run for a second year in Easter Term 2026.
 
The scheme is designed to support early–mid career academics in their professional development, leadership capability, career confidence, and wellbeing. Mentoring conversations provide a confidential space for guided reflection, personal development, and exposure to new perspectives. Mentees will be matched with mentors from outside their department and immediate area of work, creating a supportive and impartial environment.
 
The scheme is open to prospective mentees who are staff at grades 9–10 on either a Research & Teaching or Teaching & Scholarship contract. We’re particularly keen to hear from new mentors who are Senior Academics (grade 11 and above).
 
If you are interested in being a mentee or mentor or would like to find out more, please complete this short Expression of Interest form or contact LOD@admin.cam.ac.uk. Please note that submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee a place on the scheme.

Expressions of Interest: Round Table Discussions
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Express your interest in participating in round table discussions with a select committee. A parliamentary select committee is seeking 20 experts to participate in round table discussions and to support future engagement and consultation on related topics. The committee is interested to hear from researchers with expertise or insight into matters relating to the Backbench Business Committee, the Petitions Committee, the role of backbench MPs, or the organisation of parliamentary business. Experts able to provide an international perspective may have relevant insight for this committee.

Deadline to express interest: midnight on 08 March 2026
  
Relevant disciplines: Development and Area Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Law, Political Theory


Children and Young Adults in the Secure Estate
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Children and Young Adults in the Secure Estate. The Justice Committee is interested in (among other things):

• whether the placement of children as young as 10-12 years old in custody is appropriate, and how their specific rights, such as access to education, are being upheld. Legal scholars working on children's human rights may have useful insight;
• whether the placement of children as young as 10-12 years old in custody is appropriate, and how their specific rights, such as access to education, are being upheld. Philosophers working on children's human rights may have useful insight;
• whether the placement of children as young as 10-12 years old in custody is appropriate, and how their specific rights, such as access to education, are being upheld. Political theorists working on children's human rights may have useful insight.

Deadline to submit evidence: 13 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Law, Philosophy, Political Theory
 

Road Safety Strategy
Reminder: Contribute evidence to a select committee inquiry into: Road Safety Strategy. The Transport Committee is launching an inquiry to examine the potential effectiveness of the Government's recently-published new Road Safety Strategy, setting out its approach to reducing death and serious injury. The Committee is interested in (among other things) the extent to which:

• the design of vehicles and of roads (especially in rural areas) can improve safety. Designers working in this area may have useful insight for the inquiry;
• lessons can be learned from Sweden and any other good international examples. Researchers working on this topic, and/or with specific expertise relating to Sweden, may have useful insight for the inquiry;
• how to ensure infostructure is safe, speed limits, compliance and deterrence in relation to motoring offenses and dangerous driving, and the best means of supporting road users (including novice drivers and safe driving later in life). Human geographers working in this area may have useful insight for the inquiry;
• questions around how to best support road users. Historians may have useful insight from past policy and/or practice for the inquiry. Deadline to submit evidence
• measure to improve compliance and deterrence in relation to motoring offences, and the role of the type and severity of sanctions in deterring dangerous driving. Lawyers working in this area may have useful insight for the inquiry;
• how the Government might take advantage of technology, data and innovation for safer vehicles and post collision care, including the benefits of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, response to issues such as headlamp glare, increasing vehicle size, and any other issues not being currently considered by the Government's official consultation. Researchers working on technology from an Arts and Humanities perspective (e.g. how people interact with these kinds of new technologies) may have useful insight for the inquiry.

Deadline to submit evidence: 13 March 2026.

Relevant disciplines: Architecture and Design, Development and Area Studies, Geography, History, Law, Science and Technology Studies
 

Youth Employment, Education and Training
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Youth Employment, Education and Training. Among other things, the Work and Pensions Committee is interested in:

• whether there are any international initiatives that could be learned from in terms of providing effective support to young people not in education, employment or training. Researches working in area and development studies may have useful insight;
• factors leading to young people not being in education, employment or training (NEET), and whether there are some people more likely to be NEETs than others, as well as examples of effective Government-funded interventions. Human geographers may have useful insight.

Deadline to submit evidence: 13 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Development and Area Studies, Geography

  
The Work of the COVID Counter-Fraud Commissioner
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: The Work of the COVID Counter-Fraud Commissioner. The Public Accounts Committee has a long-standing interest in policy delivery with relation to tackling fraud against the public purse. As part of its ongoing scrutiny of work to recover money lost to fraud and error during the Covid-19 pandemic, and of government's efforts to protect the taxpayer from fraud more generally, the committee will take evidence from the COVID Counter-Fraud Commissioner. Lawyers and legal experts may have relevant expertise.

Deadline to submit evidence: 16 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Law
  

Government compensation schemes
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Government compensation schemes: update. The Public Accounts Committee will take evidence from senior responsible government officials following the National Audit Office's 2025 and forthcoming 2026 report on the design and implementation of compensation schemes. The committee's inquiry will explore the challenges in planning and designing schemes across government, and how to address them to ensure such schemes are effective, timely, proportionate for those making a claim, and fair. Lawyers and legal scholars may have relevant expertise.

Deadline to submit evidence: 16 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Law


Facial Recognition for Age Verification
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Contribute to a short (1500 words) briefing by POST. The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) aims to produce a short briefing for Parliament on the topic of facial recognition for age verification. They are looking for an external expert to work with POST staff to develop the briefing, which will be impartial, relevant and timely. Among other things, this may include:

• how effective the technology is. Designers working in this space may have useful insight;
• issues arising from use in immigration enforcement, links to the Online Safety Act and/or human rights law. Lawyers working in this space may have useful insight
• links to the Online Safety Act and related law. Experts in media and communications working in this space may have useful insight;
• ethical implications of age verification. Philosophers working in this space may have useful insight ;
• ethical implications of age verification, its use in immigration enforcement, prevalence in the UK and human rights law. Political philosophers working in this space may have useful insight;
• how effective the technology is, especially how well it works in determining the age of children. Experts in science and technology studies working in this space may have useful insight. 

Relevant disciplines: Architecture and Design, Information and Communication Technologies, Law, Media Studies, Philosophy, Political Theory, Science and Technology Studies


Impact of Serious and Organised Crime on Local Neighbourhoods
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: The impact of serious and organised crime on local neighbourhoods. The Home Affairs Committee will examine the extent of the links between serious organised crime and neighbourhood crime and explore the capacity of neighbourhood policing to support the wider police response to serious organised crime. It will investigate the extent to which the new structures outlined in the Government's White Paper on police reform will support the role of neighbourhood policing in tacking serious organised crime on high streets and in local communities, with the aim of ensuring that local, regional and national approaches work together effectively and are resourced appropriately.

Deadline to submit evidence: 20 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Geography, Law


Express your interest in joining a G20 Discussion Forum
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Express your interest in joining a G20 Discussion Forum formed by one of Parliament's policy groups. The International Relations and National Security policy Hub in UK Parliament is forming a G20 Discussion Group. It is seeking 8-10 experts on countries that are members of the G20, and on those countries' approaches to foreign policy and multilateralism. The group will focus on Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Türkiye, and the African Union. Experts on these countries/groups and/or broader experts on G20 summitry are welcome to express their interest in participating.

Deadline to express interest: 25 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Development and Area Studies, Diplomacy and International Relations, Geography, Law
 

Defence of the High North
Reminder: Contribute evidence to a select committee inquiry into: Defence of the High North. Researchers in diplomacy and IR may have relevant insight for the Defence Committee's inquiry, which is interested in (among other things):

• how the UK will work with, and without, key allies and partners in the region, both within and outside NATO;
• historians (particularly military and/or political historians) may have relevant insight for the Defence Committee's inquiry, which is interested in the UK’s defence and security interests in the High North, and identifying what are the current and emerging threats relating to the region;
• researchers in War Studies may have relevant insight for this Defence Committee inquiry into the UK's defence and security interests in the High North, and current and emerging threats in the region.

Deadline to submit evidence: 25 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Diplomacy and International Relations, History, War Studies


Reviewing the Electricity Market
NEW OPPORTUNITY: Contribute evidence to a select committee inquiry into: Reviewing the electricity market. The Energy Security and Net Zero committee is inquiring into what reforms are needed to the UK electricity market to enable the transition to clean, lower-cost energy. Lawyers working in this area may have useful insight for the committee.

Deadline to submit evidence: 27 March 2026

Relevant disciplines: Law


Electronic Voting
Reminder: Contribute to a select committee inquiry into: Electronic Voting. The Procedure Committee is interested in the potential merits and pitfalls of introducing electronic voting arrangements for divisions (votes) in the House of Commons. They are interested in:

• lessons from similar temporary arrangements during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as impacts on other procedures of the House. Political and constitutional historians may have useful insight;
• the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics, and the general impact of electronic voting on other procedures of the House. Lawyers and constitutional legal scholars may have useful insight;
• potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Philosophers working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight;
• potential perceptual risks and the impact of current, and potential other, arrangements on Members with protected characteristics. Political theorists working either on issues around trust and respect for Parliament/authority or equality may have useful insight.

No deadline to submit evidence.

Relevant disciplines: History, Law, Philosophy, Political Theory

Steve Peters, author of the UK's most popular self-help book, The Chimp Paradox, will speak in Cambridge (Homerton College) on 9th March 2026 at 13:30, in an event hosted jointly by Michael Coleman (Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Churchill College) and Jane Warwick (Faculty of Education). Attendance will be free and is open to all researchers, postgraduate students and administrators throughout the University. Seats are limited, however, so please register early if you are interested, and only if you are sure you can make it on the day.
 
Professor Peters is particularly well known for providing highly effective psychological support to many elite sportsmen and women, from Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton at the 2012 London Olympics to Adam Peaty in the Paris Olympics and snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan. However, his simple and well-communicated model for the working of the human mind that lies behind these successes is highly transferable to all endeavours, including academic research, teaching, and administration. This talk will explain how.
 
To register please use: https://spetersmanagingyourmindstayingresilientworkplace.eventbrite.co.uk/

Curious about turning research in women’s health into commercial impact? This interactive half‑day workshop introduces the essentials of innovation, from assessing commercial value to understanding early‑stage fundraising. Connect with peers, explore practical pathways to change and leave with a starter toolkit for next steps. Open to University staff and postgraduates, with networking to follow.

The Research Office EU Team invites you to join our European Innovation Council (EIC), European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Lump Sum Funding Financial Aspects  Information Event — a chance to hear directly from UKRI’s Horizon Europe National Contact Points (NCPs) and get tailored advice on your EIC funding plans.  
Important Note: One of the attendees has a severe latex allergy. Please do not bring any latex items into the venue.
 
Morning plenary (open to all) — 09.30am to 2.20pm  
 
Hear from UKRI NCP experts: 

• Claire Griffin — NCP & Global Innovation Lead (EIC & EIE) 
• Chris Young — Legal & Financial NCP
• Teresa Arumardi —   European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT), UKRI

• How the EIC works and its main funding streams 
• What evaluators and Jury Members look for 
• How to prepare for the EIC interview 
• Practical insights to strengthen your EIC proposals
• EIT Overview
• Legal and Financial aspects of Lump Sum funding 

• Proposal ideas 
• Specific questions or challenges 
• Planned or in‑progress applications 

• Funding across all technology readiness levels 
• Support in areas such as advanced materials, biotech, quantum, semiconductors, hydrogen, and more 
• Access to business coaching, mentors, and investor networks 
• Strong pathways for European Research Council (ERC) projects to transition into EIC opportunities 

 
 If you're exploring cutting‑edge innovation, this event will help give you the clarity, insights and connections you need. 
 
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an EU body dedicated to strengthening Europe’s capacity to innovate. As part of Horizon Europe, it supports solutions to global challenges by nurturing entrepreneurial talent and fostering sustainable growth and skilled jobs across Europe.
The EIT operates through dynamic, pan‑European partnerships known as Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), which bring together leading companies, research organisations, and universities. Together with these partners, the EIT Community delivers a wide range of innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives across Europe, supporting new ideas, talent, and collaborative opportunities.
 
Lump Sum funding is used by the European Commission as a way of simplifying EU grants by reducing administrative burden and minimise financial errors, as beneficiaries no longer need to report actual costs. Lump Sum is being more widely adopted across Horizon Europe. Understanding the financial and legal aspects of Lump Sum funding enables beneficiaries to prepare stronger proposals, manage their grants more effectively, and ensure full compliance with funder terms and conditions.
 
Book your place 
Register your place by Monday 9 March 2026 using the booking form European Innovation Council (EIC), European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and Lump Sum Funding Financial Aspects Information Event | Research Services
 
Places for 1:1 sessions with EIC NCP are limited and will be allocated based on your registration details and availability. 
 
Questions? Email horizongrants@admin.cam.ac.uk.  

In this practical workshop, we will explore how innovative, co-creative and entrepreneurial approaches can enable the transformation of research outputs into real-world products and services.

From social enterprises delivering peacekeeping initiatives, to educational technologies improving best practice in UK schools, to videogames and creative assets enabling deeper engagement with cultural history, SHAPE researchers are increasingly taking entrepreneurial routes to connect with real-world beneficiaries of their research. Using case studies from academics in SHAPE disciplines, we will explore how new interventions, toolkits, technologies, training and educational materials and consultancies are created, delivered and scaled up outside of the university.

What we’ll cover:
•    What is social innovation and social enterprise?
•    Creating an innovative value proposition from your research
•    The journey of a university idea to reality
•    Understanding intellectual property in the arts, humanities and social science
•    Research funding landscape and support for SHAPE entrepreneurship

This information day aims to inform (potential) applicants about the 2026 topics included in the Cluster 2 'Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society' work programme 2026-2027.

Under the Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe, Cluster 2 "Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society" aims to meet EU goals and priorities on enhancing democratic governance and citizens’ participation, on the safeguarding and promotion of cultural heritage and Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs), and on to responding to and shaping multifaceted social, economic, technological and cultural transformations.

Cluster 2 mobilises multidisciplinary expertise of European social sciences and humanities (SSH) for understanding fundamental contemporary transformations of society, economy, politics and culture. It aims to provide evidence-based policy options for a socially just and inclusive European green and digital transitions and a post-COVID 19 recovery.

Future projects should deliver on the three intervention areas matching the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan (2025-2027):

• Green transition
• Digital transition
• A more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe

All topics under this Cluster are expected to mainstream Social Sciences and Humanities and to include a gender dimension in their research.

We invite you to submit your proposal to participate in the inaugural Cambridge Climate and Nature Research Showcase, on Friday 26th June 2026 at the Ray Dolby Centre. 
 
This one‑day event aims to bring together Cambridge researchers from all disciplines addressing climate change and/or nature conservation, showcasing world‑leading research on energy, materials, infrastructure, conservation, food, health, policy, law, and more.  All researchers from postgraduates to professors across all six Schools are welcome to apply to present their research at this inaugural pan-University event.
 
Call for Proposals: Please submit your proposal by Sunday 12th April, 23.59pm.
 
Options to showcase your research:

• Lightning Talk: 3 minutes to speak, one single slide. 
• Poster: A0 in size (841 x 1189 mm), portrait orientation.
• Exhibit/Stand: allocated table/space to showcase your research group/institute's work.

Registration to attend the Showcase will open later in March.
 
Any questions or suggestions: please get in touch with the organising team at comms@zero.cam.ac.uk

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

UKRI Translation: AHRC Proof of Concept Opportunity aims to:

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

Award: Up to £150,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the fEC for projects up to five years in duration.

Funder Deadline: Open call

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this opportunity will be:

• to identify a team and host institution to lead Northern Ireland Assembly and UK General Election studies in Northern Ireland between 2026 and 2036
• to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly election and the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Northern Ireland

ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

• produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
• promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
• collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. When the funding opportunity opens, more information will be available on this page. Please contact us if you are interested in this opportunity and we will notify you when the opportunity is updated and open.

The aims of this funding opportunity will be:

• to identify a team and host institution to lead the British Election Study (BES) between 2027 and 2037.
• to deliver data collection on the anticipated 2029 UK General Election in Great Britain, and surveys aligned to local elections.

Our objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

• produce high-quality data that meets the needs of the research, policy and practice communities, building on the existing politically independent time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data
• promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public
• collaborate with the other UK election studies to facilitate meaningful comparison of elections in the UK and the views and behaviour of UK electorates

Award: The duration of this award is a maximum of 60 months. The scheme will fund: Staff costs; Data collection, distribution and promotion; Engagement and collaboration activity; Travel and subsistence.

Funder Deadline: TBC

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: The UKRI-funded DISKAH Fellowship scheme is a one-year long programme for UK-based Arts and Humanities (A&H) researchers, research technical professionals (RTPs), creative technologists and computationally oriented artists. The scheme aims to provide an opportunity to broaden engagement with UKRI Digital Research Infrastructures (DRI), including data-services and compute services, to underpin large-scale computational methods to support innovation. 

Funding is available to enable the DISKAH Fellows to join the programme and gain access to resources to develop their projects through cutting-edge Digital Research Infrastructures (DRI), build capacity, and deliver training to their communities. 

We particularly encourage project ideas which either:

• Explore data in addition to or beyond text-based sources, such as visual, multidimensional, or multimodal data.
• Leverage large-scale data, already available or in the process of becoming available through national data DRI, or data that you plan to deposit in national DRI services.
• Connect or integrate data from multiple data DRI services.
• Explore creative use of data with potential applications in the creative industries.

Award: £6,500

Funder Deadline: 20 February 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: If you need to discuss project ideas, please email DISKAH's PI, Dr Karina Rodriguez Echavarria K.Rodriguez@brighton.ac.uk, to book a meeting.

Summary: The aim of this sandpit is to develop research projects that develop, validate, and critique novel scientometric indicators for use in research assessment and in metascience research.

The increasing availability of scientific output data and metadata, combined with advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning abilities in analysing semantic content, is creating the conditions for a paradigm shift in scientometrics. These developments offer the opportunity to develop new measures of research excellence and impact that go beyond traditional citation-based metrics.

This is reflected in a growing range of innovations in the measurement and understanding of research quality. These include indicators of novelty, disruption, interdisciplinarity, collaboration, quality, replicability, integrity, semantic relevance, research papers to to patents and policy and more sophisticated methods for classifying types of citations. In addition, a recent independent report REF-AI argues that there is a growing imperative to consider the potential for using large language models for assessment in the UK’s Research Excellence Framework 2029.

However, many of these indicators and methods lack validation, theoretical reflection, and deep engagement with end users and the research community. This sandpit seeks to address these challenges.

The sandpit will take place over four days, and attendance will be mandatory for selected participants over two weeks, in-person at UKRI Swindon on 15 to 16 April 2026, and remotely on 21 April and 23 April 2026.

Award: We expect to fund up to £3 million at 80% full economic cost for all research projects arising from the sandpit.

Funder Deadline: Applicants are asked to complete an expression of interest online survey to be considered for the sandpit. The closing date is 26 February 2026 at 4:00pm UK time .

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: UKRI has announced their Future Leaders Fellowship Round 11 call. This scheme aims to support the most talented early career researchers and innovators who are transitioning to or establishing research independence. The number of applicants that the University of Cambridge is permitted to submit is capped at 10 for this round.  The call is  managed according to the University’s restricted calls policy. 
 
Award: Fellowships run on a 4+3 year model. There is no minimum or maximum project cost. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC). The host institution is required to provide match-funding for tapered salary support throughout the fellowship. They also need to confirm an open-ended position to be taken up by the Fellow at the end of the fellowship. These requirements need to be met from the resources within the Departments/Faculties. 

Internal Deadline: 02 March 2026, deadline for Departments to submit nominations to Schools.

Research Facilitation Contact: Interested candidates should contact the host department for further details on the nomination process.

Summary: The ESRC have announced their New Investigator Grant scheme. This scheme is suitable for early career researchers who have yet to make the transition to be an independent researcher. Proposals are welcome in any topic which falls within ESRC’s remit, including projects at the “interface with the wider sciences”, provided that social sciences accounts for at least 50% of the proposed research.
 
University Internal selection
The ESRC expect the University to run an internal selection process to ensure that we submit only bids from outstanding individuals with the potential to become the research leaders of the future. The University may only submit a limited number of applications. To meet these requirements, this call will be overseen by a cross-school Committee, as decided by University’s Research Policy Committee. 
 
There are three internal calls every year (MT, LT and ET).  Only applicants whose proposals have been approved through the internal selection process will be allowed to proceed with submission of their applications to ESRC. 
 
Interested applicants should submit an online application.   
 
You will be required to upload the following:

• Your research project proposal (template found here) 
• A letter of support from your Head of Department 
  • This letter is very important to the success of the application as it is needed to confirm the details of the departmental support and the applicant’s eligibility. The letter must also specify a department/faculty based mentor, and a reviewer, both of whom have agreed to provide feedback on the full proposal, should the applicant be selected to proceed. The reviewer may be from within or outside the applicant’s department/faculty. Please note that naming a reviewer is an internal requirement, and the reviewer will not be named on the full application to ESRC. The mentor and the named reviewer will be expected to provide feedback on the full proposal prior to submission to ESRC. This will be coordinated by the School Research Facilitator.
• A Worktribe report
  • The report should show the preliminary costing for the project, including the cost of the applicant’s salary and research assistance (if required).The costing should be created as a full project with submission set to 2150  - not a standalone costing. A UKRI Submission Report should be run. The Worktribe report should not be submitted for ROO approval at this stage; the costing is for indicative purposes only, to inform the internal selection. It will be possible to modify it after the internal selection. Please attach it as a .pdf document, rather than an Excel file. 

Award: The ESRC will award grants of between £100-350K (covered at 80%fEC).

Internal Deadline: 13 March 2026, internal selection deadline

Research Facilitation Contact: If you have any questions, please write to ESRCNewInv@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Summary: Apply for a funded placement at an international institution. Placements are available at the following institutions:

• United States: Harry Ransom Center, Huntington Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Yale Centre for British Art
• Japan: National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU)
• China: Shanghai Theatre Academy

Award: £1,000 for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for travel to Japan and China) and £2,500 for each month of the placement. Applicants can apply for two to six months of funding.

Internal Deadline: For Cambridge PhD students the internal deadline for applications is 05 March 2026. 

Current students should also notify the Student Funding and Fee Policy Team by emailing research.council.funding@admin.cam.ac.uk by the end of January 2026 at the latest.  Please also confirm which institution you will be applying to.

Research Facilitation Contact: research.council.funding@admin.cam.ac.uk

Summary: AHRC and Research Ireland are collaborating on a new research programme that will deliver transformational impact on creative economy research between the UK and Ireland. The programme will exploit complementary strengths in the creative economy between centres of excellence in both countries, leading to new and sustainable collaborations and strengthening world-class research and industry capacity across the UK and Irish ecosystems.

Award: Maximum £35,000. Each network must commence by 30 September 2026 and the grant will be for a fixed term of 12 months.

Funder Deadline: 24 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

Summary: This funding opportunity aims to accelerate the generation of evidence on how we can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusivity of the research and development (R&D) ecosystem. For this round, we are interested in how the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape , how to optimally design and lead research institutions; and how to measure and understand scientific progress at scale.
In this funding opportunity, we are focussing on three themes to build our metascience portfolio. Applications should fit under one of the following themes.

Science of AI for Science:
How the adoption of AI is changing the research landscape, how this helps and/or hinders scientific progress, and how governments, industry and funding organisations should respond.

Effective design and leadership of research organisations
This includes empirical comparison of institutional models, the drivers of programme manager and research performance, the application of evidence from management and behavioural science to improve organisational structures and practices in research environments, and the effectiveness of interventions to support inclusive, high-performing research cultures.

Scientometric approaches to understanding research excellence, efficiency, and equity
This includes the development, validation, and generalisable use of metrics and indicators to assess research quality, influence, and impact, the development or application of indicators to advance the curation and synthesis of science at scale, and the behavioural consequences of metric use in research evaluation and funding decisions.

Award: The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £250,000 or £350,000 with an international partner. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funder Deadline: 23 April 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 13 March 2026 and 17 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

Funder Deadline: 27 August 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: 02 September 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

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

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

Funder Deadline: TBC, likely October/November 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Summary: The Philip Leverhulme Prizes are awarded to researchers at an early stage of their careers whose work has had international impact and whose future research career is exceptionally promising. The funding should be used for any purpose related to the advancement of the research or artistic practice of the Prize Winner, provided that the items of expenditure fall within the categories classically eligible for the support of the Trust. Funding is available over 2 to 3 years and is paid in two equal instalments to the Prize Winner’s employing institution. Prizes can be taken up on the first of a month between 1st December 2026 and 1st November 2027. 

Eligibility
Nominees must: 

• have been awarded a doctoral degree not more than ten years prior to the closing date for nominations (some exceptions apply; see the eligibility requirements).
• hold either a permanent post or a long-term fellowship in a UK institution of higher education or research that would extend beyond the duration of the Philip Leverhulme Prize. Those otherwise without salary are not eligible to be nominated. 
• not have a clinical focus to their present and past work

Subject areas 2025
Applications will be considered within the six broad subject areas available each year. These rotate on a 3-year cycle (the current cycle is 2023, 2024 and 2025). Nominees may not be nominated for more than one prize subject in any 3-year cycle.

• Biological Sciences
• History
• Law
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Philosophy and Theology
• Sociology and Social Policy

Two areas are always excluded because substantial funding is available from other sources for applied medical research, and the Trust’s priority is to support investigations of a fundamental nature:

• studies of disease, illness and disabilities in humans and animals
• research that is intended to inform clinical practice or the development of medical applications

University Internal selection:  
The funder stipulates that the University can submit no more than three nominations in any prize subject. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure. We therefore ask each Department/Faculty to register and rank up to 3 nominations per prize subject. Nominations are to be made by the nominee's head of department (or equivalent).

Please submit your Department/Faculty’s nomination(s) via this online form, by 3rd March 2026 (if requested, please log-in with your Raven details; please note that a Form cannot be saved and returned to). 
 
You will need the following documents and information to complete the Form:  

• Nominee details including name, Department and prize category. 
• Nominee's eligibility details including 1) date when the nominee's PhD was confirmed by the awarding institution and 2) whether the nominee has a permanent position or fellowship that will outlast the Leverhulme prize 3) that the focus of the nominee's present and past work is not clinically focused.
• A letter of support from the Head of Department/Faculty/Institute confirming their support for the project and that the respective Department is happy to host it (max. 2 pages per nominee)
• Brief summary of reason for nomination (max. 250 words per nominee)
• CV including the nominee's four most significant publications asterisked (max. 2 pages per nominee). Nominees should consider DORA principles when presenting research outputs.

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

• Criterion 1: the nominee's work has had international impact
• Criterion 2: the future research career of the nominee is exceptionally promising

Funder deadline: 14th May 2026

Award: £100,000

Internal Deadline: 03 March 2026, internal restricted deadline

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

Summary: The International Fellowships programme provides support for outstanding early career researchers to make a first step towards developing an independent research career through gaining experience across international borders. Each award is expected to involve a specific and protected research focus with the award holder undertaking high quality, original research. The objectives are to:

• Attract talented International early career researchers to establish and conduct their research in the UK;
• Support early career researchers to pursue high-quality and innovative lines of research;
• Provide opportunities to acquire and transfer new skills and knowledge through training and career development;
• Foster long-term relationships through networking opportunities and the International Fellowships alumni programme.

Award: The International Fellowships offer support for two years and the award is offered at 80% FEC. Applicants may apply for research expenses of up to £12,000 and relocation costs of up to £8,000. Applicants will need to justify the level of research expenses and relocation costs requested in their application.

Funder Deadline: 11 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Elizabeth Penner

Summary: The Independent Social Research Foundation wishes to support independent-minded researchers to explore and present original research ideas which take new approaches, and suggest new solutions, to real world social problems. Principal Investigator(s) will lead a small group of 2-10 scholars (which may include graduate students). 

The Foundation supports innovative research which crosses established disciplinary boundaries and critically challenges incumbent theories and approaches, so as to address afresh empirical problems with no currently adequate theory or investigative methodology. Innovation may also come from controversial theoretical approaches motivated by critical challenge of incumbent theories. Projects ranging across the breadth of the social scientific disciplines and interdisciplinary research fields are welcome, and relevant applications from scholars working within the humanities are also encouraged.

Award: Up to a maximum of £7,500

Funder Deadline: 13 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Summary: These awards will support transdisciplinary teams to catalyse research discoveries at the intersection of genomics, humanities, social sciences and bioethics. Funded projects will be given the time and resources to create new research agendas and explore innovative ways of working.

There is a long history of exploring the social, legal and ethical contexts of genomics. This has made significant inroads into fostering more ethical and equitable practice. However, this has often been too limited and too late. Wider humanities and social science fields are underrepresented; communities or other social partners are often not centred; and these perspectives are often only included after key research decisions have already been made. This not only poses ethical challenges. It means that the discovery research potential of wider and earlier collaboration remains unrealised.

This call is aimed at addressing this issue and supporting novel, transdisciplinary teams to explore this area by enabling:

• An increased breadth of collaborative partners – building inter- and transdisciplinary teams across genomics-related life sciences, humanities, social science and wider societal partners to purposefully engage in research at their unique intersections.
• The earlier integration of partners – bringing new partners together at the conceptual stage of a research agenda (research ideation, design and partnership building), so that research ideas and avenues can be explored and co-developed in new and innovative ways.
• A focus on Discovery Research – shifting the focus away from specific ethical questions, often applied at the end of a research lifecycle, to an emphasis on co-developing novel discovery research from the outset.
• A plan for integrated collaboration across the research lifecycle that harmonises and leverages the skills and perspectives of diverse contributors. 

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

Funder Deadline: 26 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

We fund research into the: 

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

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

Funder Deadline: 31 March 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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.

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

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

Funder Deadline: 21 July 2026

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Anna Cieslik

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Minimum 4 weeks before funder deadline.

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

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

Award: Varies.

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Lucy Sheerman

Summary: The University of Cambridge AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) and the Social Science Impact Fund (SSIF) will open during Michaelmas term. 

The overall purpose of this fund is to support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities. Awards will be made available to fund work that will significantly increase the probability of the ideas and findings generated by the research having a non-academic impact on the private, public, and third sectors. Collaborative, innovative, and co-funded projects are encouraged.  

Full information on eligible projects and the application process will be circulated as soon as possible.  

Award: Awards will be made in the region of £5,000 to £25,000, covering 100% of directly incurred costs but not indirect costs.  

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

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

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

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

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

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

Funder Deadline: Rolling basis

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

Summary: New funding scheme supports collaborative research projects between University of Cambridge and local authorities.

The University of Cambridge is launching a new funding scheme to support collaborative AI research and development projects with local government partners. The ai@cam Local Government AI Accelerator will provide grants of up to £25,000 for proof-of-concept projects that address shared challenges across multiple councils.

The fund represents a new approach to AI innovation in public services, connecting academic expertise with real-world operational needs. Projects must demonstrate clear buy-in from at least one local authority partner, be led by a University of Cambridge researcher eligible to hold funding, and deliver results within 12 months.

The initiative builds on ai@cam’s work with local government partners across Cambridgeshire and beyond. Early AI adopters in local government are already demonstrating the technology’s potential in areas like social care, planning consultation analysis, and infrastructure maintenance. This collaboration aims to support councils in identifying promising AI applications and developing appropriate solutions.

Award: Funded projects will receive up to £25,000 for 9-12 months of proof-of-concept development, with ongoing support through monthly community of practice sessions and technical support clinics with ai@cam’s machine learning engineers. A final showcase will document lessons learned and explore pathways for scaling successful solutions across the sector.

Funder Deadline: 13 February 2026

Contact: If you have any questions around eligibility or the application process, please contact Jess Montgomery (jkm40@cam.ac.uk).

ai@cam has received a number of enquiries from local authorities looking to connect with Cambridge researchers for potential collaborative projects. If any resonate with your research interests or expertise, please feel free to reach out directly to the council contacts provided.

1. Computer Vision & Automated Detection

1. Assessment & Service Delivery Automation

1. Predictive Modeling & Risk Assessment

1. Early Warning System for Vulnerable Tenants (Cambridge City & South Cambridgeshire District Councils)

1. Multiple Predictive Applications (Huntingdonshire District Council)

• Forecasting for temporary accommodation (aiming to reduce homelessness)
• Environmental health compliance: predicting which food businesses might fall below compliance standards
• Predictive maintenance for parks and playground assets, with better optimisation of inspection schedules
• Hotspot identification for ASB, fly-tipping, and graffiti for more targeted interventions
• Climate and flood risk modelling to support planning and climate strategies

• Evaluating the performance of AI evidence synthesis tools for rapid evidence reviews
• AI applications to support evaluation of public health interventions (e.g., summarising qualitative survey data, designing RCT protocols, developing population sampling frames)
• Using AI tutors for upskilling council officers in specific research methods (e.g., learning R for particular user needs)

1. Governance - Local Assurance Framework quality assurance review: A defined framework for the review and approval of investment decisions. Each local council/Combined Authority/public body has to follow a central government-agreed assurance model, so there's clear potential for scalability.
2. Transport model data assessments: Assessments of new development or infrastructure schemes. Given the proposed scale of housing developments across Cambridgeshire, this is particularly timely.

1. Reach out directly to the council contacts provided - they're keen to discuss collaborations.
2. Consider the AI Accelerator funding: Applications are for up to £25,000 and the deadline is 13 February 2026. Find out more details on how to apply.
3. Get in touch with ai@cam if you have questions about the programme or need support making connections.

Summary: The Legacies of Enslavement Initiative offers funding to support small‑scale projects and activities that advance the aims of the Initiative. Applications are  welcome from individuals or groups across the University undertaking work that contributes to research, engagement, or understanding in this area.

[Application Form]

Award: Up to £5,000

Funder Deadline: 27 February 2026

Contact: For further questions, contact legaciesnetwork@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Summary: This call invites established researchers in the University of Cambridge to propose projects in the broad field of Legacies of Enslavement. Funding will be allocated to two projects. Proposers will be the Principal Investigator and the funding allocated will support the appointment of one Post Doctoral Research Associate in each project for a period of two years. The remit of these projects is wide, encompassing either historical work across any discipline, or research that addresses contemporary legacies and afterlives of systems of enslavement and forced labour. The criteria for selection will be the excellence of the selected project’s contribution to knowledge;  its feasibility within the timeframe; and its relationship to the objectives of the Legacies of Enslavement Initiative.

[Application form]

Award: Each research project will cover the salary of a PDRA for 24 months.

Funder Deadline: 27 February 2026

Contact: For further questions, contact legaciesnetwork@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Summary: Interested researchers active in the arts, humanities and social sciences from the six schools in the University of Cambridge and within all of Sciences Po’s research centres are invited to apply online now for collaborative grants of up to £3,000. Projects must be completed by December 2026.

Applications may be submitted via the online form: Collaborative Research.

• The production of academic publications and public policy contributions stemming from the various research collaboration efforts;
• The development of applications for large scale externally funding projects that include Cambridge and Sciences Po academics as co-investigators or as leading members of a wider consortium;
• A sustainable Anglo-French collaborative research partnership in their specific area.

Award: £3,000 per project (as per this call)

Funder Deadline: 27 February 2026

Contact: For questions or support, please contact: campo@admin.cam.ac.uk

Summary: Enhanced funding to deliver researcher development activities for PhD students is available to Departments and Faculties by application to support high-cost events and any activities involving external speakers or specialists.

Examples of activities funded in the past include workshops on the topics of communication and managing difficult conversations, translating research into practice, unconscious bias, self-confidence, etc.

Award: The budget for Enhanced Funding is £60k per annum. There is no specific funding envelope per round of applications); decisions will be made based on the quality of the proposals received. Expenditure and available funds will be kept under review by the central PgED team and Schools will be kept informed of progress.

Funder Deadline: 13 April 2026

Contact: Dr Sonja Tomašković at st560@cam.ac.uk

Summary: Designed to provide support for emergency bridging or underwriting needs for early career, postdoctoral, researchers. Such needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should focus on retaining exceptional staff members during funding gaps.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration between 3 and 6 months.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Summary: Designed to support the establishment of new, stellar quality, visionary projects. Trustees will be looking for relevant expertise and the attainment of results in the time available. Applications could be for seed-corn funding, collecting pilot data, or similar start-up or exploratory research.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 12 months

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Summary: Designed to contribute match or top-up funding towards an externally awarded Early Career Fellowship to be held at the University. This may include salary or consumables support. Please note that the INT supports the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships under a different scheme.

Award: Up to £30,000 for a project duration of up to 3 years.

Funder Deadline: 04 June 2026

Contact: Katie Barnes, Deputy Trust Administrator, at administrator@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

Currently open

Following a successful pilot, the Early-Mid Career Academic Mentoring Scheme will run for a second year in Easter Term 2026.
 
The scheme is designed to support early–mid career academics in their professional development, leadership capability, career confidence, and wellbeing. Mentoring conversations provide a confidential space for guided reflection, personal development, and exposure to new perspectives. Mentees will be matched with mentors from outside their department and immediate area of work, creating a supportive and impartial environment.
 
The scheme is open to prospective mentees who are staff at grades 9–10 on either a Research & Teaching or Teaching & Scholarship contract. We’re particularly keen to hear from new mentors who are Senior Academics (grade 11 and above).
 
If you are interested in being a mentee or mentor or would like to find out more, please complete this short Expression of Interest form or contact LOD@admin.cam.ac.uk. Please note that submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee a place on the scheme.