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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Research Funding and Strategic Initiatives
 

AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA)

The AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) -- previously the Arts and Humanities Impact Fund, or AHIF -- aims to enhance the non-academic impact of arts and humanities research at the University of Cambridge.

Apply for funding to enhance the non-academic impact of arts and humanities research at the University of Cambridge. Applications which support placements for knowledge exchange activities in order to foster partnership working with non-HEI organisations are also welcome. You must: be a researcher in the arts and humanities; be a senior research with a current contract of employment at the University OR be an early career research with support from a senior research as a Co-I; have approval from the respective HoD.

Award: Impact Fund Call between £5,000 and £15,000; Early Career Researcher Call between £5,000 and £10,000; All-Council Rapid Response up to £15,000)

Deadline: 25 March 2023 (IAA Impact Fund Call and IAA Early Career Researcher Call); rolling deadline until 4 September 2023 (All-Council Rapid Response IAA)

Research Facilitation ContactDr Lucy Sheerman


 

 

Cambridge-Africa Alborada Research Fund

The Cambridge-Africa ALBORADA Research Fund was established in 2012, with generous support from The ALBORADA Trust. The Fund supports pairs of researchers (post-doctoral level and above) from the University of Cambridge (or an affiliated institution such as the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, NIAB and British Antarctic Survey) and sub-Saharan African institutions, across all disciplines, to initiate and/or strengthen research collaborations. To date, more than 260 awards have been made, to enable Cambridge researchers to engage with African colleagues from 31 African countries. Some awardees have been able to use the preliminary results from their seed fund / research collaboration to apply for and win significant funding (e.g. Royal Society/Leverhulme Awards, Global Challenges Research Fund, etc.).

Award: Between £1,000 and £20,000 for research costs, research-related travel (between Cambridge and Africa), research training activities in Africa (e.g. workshops/courses).

Deadline: tentative upcoming deadline is 05 September 2023

Research Facilitation Contactalboradafund@cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk


 

Cambridge Humanities Research Grant

The Cambridge Humanities Research Grant scheme is administered by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences; research funding of £1,000-£20,000 per project is available.

A series of gathered fields will operate across the year. For full information, scheme notes and call timetable please visit the CHRG pages

Award: up to £20,000 depending on the Tier

Deadline: rolling

Facilitation contact: Dr Anna Cieslik


 

 

Cambridge-LMU Strategic Partnership

The Cambridge-LMU Strategic Parternship was launched in 2018. The partnership funds exchanges opportunities and collaborative projects between the two institutions across all areas of research and education.

Award: Funding for new collaborations will be up to €10,000. Funding to enhance existing collaborations is available up to €30,000.

Deadline: TBA

Research Facilitation Contact: Please contact Ingrid.Hobbis@admin.cam.ac.uk and camlmu@admin.ac.uk for more information.

 

 

Cambridge-Sciences Po Partnership (CamPo)

The CamPo Scheme is a partnership between the Universities of Cambridge and Sciences Po, a flagship initiative for strengthening international collaboration in the humanities and the social sciences, and for development of lasting partnership and collaboration between the two Universities with the aim to become a leading research hub for the social sciences. The scheme is intended to cover academic disciplines in social sciences, arts and humanities across all six Schools of the university.
 
The funding is aimed at supporting activities such as:

  1. workshops, lectures, symposia and conferences
  2. research visits (from/to both institutions)
  3. joint research collaborations and travel grants
  4. visiting professorships (short or mid-term) at both Sciences Po and Cambridge.                         

Interested researchers are invited to apply for a second round of collaborative research and PhD student exchange, open for approximately 6 weeks, with a deadline of 24 February 2023.

Please follow these links to the calls for proposals in full details: Collaborative Research Grants and PhD Student Exchange. You may also submit your application directly to the following links:

Collaborative Research Grant
PhD Student Exchange

Award: For Collaborative Research Grants £15k is available for projects that can be completed by December 2023. For PhD Exchange the award consists of affiliation with Sciences Po, desk space and library access.
Deadline: 24 February 2023.
Research Facilitation Contact: CamPo@Admin.cam.ac.uk

 

 

DAAD-University of Cambridge Research Hub for German Studies

The DAAD-University of Cambridge Research Hub for German Studies was created in 2015 with funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The Hub funds projects in German studies. It has supported over 50 events and brought over 1,000 people to Cambridge since its inception. This scheme funds workshops and seed funding for projects; visits to Cambridge by German scholars; and public engagement activities.

There are calls twice a year.

Award: Up to £5,000

Research Facilitation ContactMs Ingrid Hobbis


 

 

ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA)

The ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) aims to support the use of research and expertise through the development of relationships with non-academic stakeholders, beneficiaries, and partners. It is aimed at researchers with UTO status working on subjects within the social sciences and based in any academic department at the University of Cambridge.

Award: Up to £20,000. Projects can last up to 12 months in duration.

Deadline: 30 September 2023, annually.

Research Facilitation Contact: Dr Tina Basi


 

Global Humanities Mobility Scheme

The Global Humanities Mobility Scheme is hosted by the Global Humanities Network. Established in 2020, the network has one simple but ambitious aim: to permanently transform the way we teach, research and think about the Humanities. The network brings together leading universities from around the world. Besides Cambridge: Fudan and Nanjing Universities in China, Ashoka University in India, the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Universidad Diego Portales in Chile, and Sabanci University in Turkey.

One of the Network's main goals is to foster the mobility of staff between our institutions. To that end we have designed a scheme to provide funding for scholarly exchange between Cambridge and the other network partners that leads to joint teaching ventures (primarily but not exclusively at post-graduate level) and builds the basis for new research initiatives which can lead to larger-scale opportunities/collaborations in the future. Applications are normally considered for stays of between two and four weeks. We particularly welcome applications that enable students and researchers to understand and interrogate new ideas and foster a greater plurality of voices in the scholarly community.

Award: TBA

Deadline: TBA

Research Facilitation Contact: Ms Greta Mijares

 

 

Isaac Newton Trust Research Grants

The Isaac Newton Trust Research Grants has only modest resources and must be viewed as a funder of last resort. The Trustees therefore expect all reasonable attempts to have been made by applicants to secure funding from other sources before an application is made to the Trust. The Trust will support:

  • Project Grants - initial partner funding for new research projects; plus grants for unconventional, innovative forms of research & scholarship
  • Emergency Grants - bridging for salary costs / brief underwriting / start-up grants
  • Fellowship Support - providing matching funds or consumables for certain fellowships
  • Equipment Grants - use of shared equipment, or small equipment needs as part of a specific project.   NB  the Trust will no longer offer contributions to the cost of major items of equipment.
  • Strategic Grants - in exceptional circumstances the Trustees may consider an application for support for a large, institutional, perhaps interdisciplinary, programme of strategic value to the University for the promotion of education or research

For full list of deadlines please consult the INT website.

Award: Varies

Deadline: 23 September 2022

Research Facilitation Contact: research.admin@newtontrust.cam.ac.uk

 

Keynes Fund

Keynes Fund -- 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 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. Proposers are expected to motivate their projects in light of the statutory goals of the Keynes Fund, clearly identifying the areas of originality and excellence in them.

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

Award: Up to £50,000 (Standard Grant); in excess of £50,000 (Large Grant)

Deadline: 29 September 2023

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

Large Grant Contribution Fund

The Large Grant Contribution Fund supports researchers putting forward funding over £1 million for AHSS subject areas. 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. PI buyout and equipment are not eligible costs for request.

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

Deadline: Rolling deadline. *Minimum 4-weeks before funder deadline.

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

 

SHARE: Social Sciences and Humanities Access to Research Experiences

SHARE is a six-week, paid, summer research experience programme which aims to enhance diversity and inclusiveness within the social sciences at Cambridge, and in UK academia more broadly through improved access to research experience. 

SHARE is open to UK and Republic of Ireland residents who are studying at a UK or Republic of Ireland university for their undergraduate degree and are not in their first year or final year of study, and who have the potential to become the future of research in the humanities and social sciences.

We are offering paid 6-week research experience internships from 3 July - 11 August 2023, which will aim to provide you with a real day-to-day experience of postgraduate research. During the six-week programme, candidates will

  • undertake a research project
  • attend training skills sessions
  • receive information on postgraduate study
  • meet and work with our researchers, academic staff and postgraduate students

During the research experience internship, candidates will live in college accommodation and social activities will introduce you to our community.

SHARE is designed to offer everyone who takes part tangible benefits in terms of confidence, skills and experience that will enhance both their CV and any future postgraduate applications.

Deadline: 27 February 2023
Research Facilitation Contact: share@admin.cam.ac.uk