The British Academy
Research Funding
Jack Caswell (Assistant Head of Research Awards)
About the Academy: Roles
• A Fellowship
• A Funding Body
• A Voice
About the Academy: Values
• Excellence
• Independence
• Distinctiveness
Strategic Priorities 2013-18
• Championing the Humanities and Social Sciences
• Advancing Research
• Fostering Excellence
• Strengthening Policy Making
• Engaging with the Public
• Promoting Internationalism
Prospering Wisely
Our subject areas
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The Humanities
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The Social Sciences
Other societies
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The Royal Society
The Royal Academy of Engineering
The Academy of Medical Sciences
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
Relation to Research Councils
The British Academy
• ESRC – social sciences
• AHRC – arts and humanities
Focus of research funding
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Individuals
International engagement
Excellence and engagement
Languages and Quantitative Skills
Division of spend 2014-15
Allocated Spend
Research, £16m
International Engagement, £6.5m
Languages and Quantitative Skills,
£1.2m
Public Policy and Engagement,
£1.3m
Research and international spend 2014-15
Allocated Spend
Postdoctoral Fellowships,
£10.75m
Mid-Career Fellowships, £4.2m
Small Research Grants, £1.3m,
inc £500k from Leverhulme
Newton International Fellowships,
£1.4m
International Partnerships and
Mobility, £1m
Skills Acquisition Awards, £200k
Languages and Quantitative Skills
Dedicated programme to address skills deficits in UK education and research
Through this programme, the BA:
• Works with key stakeholders with the aim
of facilitating greater change and
deepening awareness within relevant
communities;
• identifying and promoting best practice,
and supporting research and scholarship
in these areas.
Available research support
• Humanities and social sciences
• Postdoctoral level
• Applicants resident in the UK
• Complement the schemes of the AHRC and ESRC
• Major focus on individuals through Postdoctoral and Mid-Career
Fellowships
• International opportunities, including new opportunities as part of the
Newton Fund
Research Awards & Int’l Schemes
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Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDF)
Mid-Career Fellowships (MCF)
Senior Research Fellowships (SRF)
BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants (SG)
Skills Acquisition Awards (SQ)
• Newton Advanced Fellowships (AF) - NEW
• International Partnership & Mobility (IPM); and Newton Mobility
Grants (NG) - NEW
• Newton International Fellowships (NIF)
Postdoctoral Fellowships
• currently offering up to 45 awards each year
• tenable for three years
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experience of independent research
introduction to teaching
career development
output and dissemination
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Eligibility
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Any EEA national
Anyone of any nationality with UK doctorate
Doctorate awarded between April 2012 and April 2015
Agreed support from UK university as host
Postdoctoral Fellowships
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Annual competition
2-stage application process
Deadline for outline applications is 8 Oct 2014
Shortlist announced before February
Final awards announced in May
Awards to be taken up from Sep 2015
High priority scheme
Postdoctoral Fellowships
• 802 applications in 2013-14, 45 awards, 5.6% success
rate
• 747 applications in 2013, 50 awards, 6.7% success rate
• 923 applications in 2012, 45 awards, 4.8% success rate
• 826 applications in 2011, 47 awards, 5.7% success rate
Skills Acquisition Awards
• Open to early career scholars employed at UK
universities
• Awards for up to 1 year: relationship building, learning
from mentor
• Emphasis on real outcomes in skills development
• Deadline for applications 29 Oct 2014
• Awards taken up from summer 2015
Mid-Career Fellowships (1 year)
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Mid-career (research and communication)
2-stage selection process: outline stage Sep deadline
Success rate under 10%, likely to be around 35 awards
Awards for 6-12 months: research leave, FEC basis
Emphasis on:
– Strength of research proposal
– Communication to a broad audience
BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships
7 awards each year, tenable for one year
• to complete major programme of research
• relief from teaching and administration
• Non-FEC, sponsored by Leverhulme Trust
• Deadline for applications: 19 Nov 2014; decisions
announced in following March
• Awards tenable from autumn 2015
BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants
• Restored scheme, now with additional funding from Leverhulme
Trust
• Awards £10k, tenable for up to 24 months
• Commonly used for pilot studies, small-scale projects
• Worldwide in scope, international partners
• High priority in Academy portfolio
• Wide outreach: over 100 HEIs in last financial year
BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants
• Two rounds of competition per year
• Next round open now for deadline on 15 October 2014
• Awards for research to start between 1 Apr and 31 Aug
• Further round in spring 2015 – deadline in April 2015
• Awards for research to start between Sep and Mar 2016
BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants:
Other Funding Partners
• Honor Frost Foundation
• Modern Humanities Research Association
• Sino-British Fellowship Trust
• Sir Ernest Cassel Trust
• Sir John Cass’s Foundation
• Society for the Advancement of Management Studies
Academy Research Projects
• Recognition of c. 50 long-term infrastructural projects
• Datasets of fundamental resources
• Support for British contribution to collaborative
international enterprises
• Occasional Call for new proposals, most recently in
March 2014, for projects in the social sciences only
Proceedings of the
British Academy
• The British Academy’s flagship series, publishing
themed volumes of essays
• Proposals considered twice a year (deadlines
March and September)
• 8 volumes of essays published each year
• Volumes included in British Academy Scholarship
Online
International
Newton Fund
The Newton Fund was announced in 2014 as part of the
UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment.
The British Academy is one of a number of funding bodies
which are partners in delivering the fund.
We are offering support through a number of dedicated
schemes of grants and fellowships.
See www.britac.ac.uk/newtonfund
Newton Fund:
Newton Advanced Fellowships
Offered by three national academies (Royal Society, British
Academy and Academy of Medical Sciences)
• Supports early to mid-career international researchers (up
to 15 years post PhD)
• Researchers from Brazil; Mexico; South Africa and Turkey
• Helps develop their research strengths by linking with UK
groups and networks
• Funding includes salary top-up, research support, travel
and subsistence, and training costs
• Up to £37,000pa; one year or two year awards (maximum
£74,000); not FEC
Newton Fund:
Newton Mobility Grants
• Researchers from Brazil; Mexico; South Africa; Turkey
and Vietnam
• Helps establish and develop collaboration with UK
researchers around a specific jointly defined project
• One-year awards particularly suited to new collaborative
partnerships or to new initiatives
• Funding can include travel, accommodation and
subsistence, organisation of workshops and seminars,
consumables; up to a maximum of £10,000
• Awards must begin in March 2015
International Funding
International Partnership and Mobility Scheme
• Funding for research partnerships between UK
scholars and scholars in Africa, East Asia, the Middle
East, Latin America & Caribbean, and South Asia
• 3-year and 1-year awards: £10,000 per year
• Next call expected November 2014; deadline in
February 2015
Newton International Fellowships
Run by two national academies (Royal Society, British
Academy)
• Two-year postdoctoral research fellowships
• For overseas researchers (from any country) to conduct
research at a UK host institution
• Covers any discipline within remit of RS and BA
• Electronic application via RS e-Gap system
• Next deadline expected to be in early part of 2015
• See www.newtonfellowships.org
Sponsored
Overseas Institutes
Evaluation Criteria
For all awards:
o academic merit
o originality of proposal
o relationship to and volume of research already in the
field
o feasibility of research programme
o specificity of scheme of research
o intended outcomes
Evaluation Criteria
Research Posts: additional factors:
• For PDFs: potential to go on to a successful academic career as a
teacher in higher education
• For MCFs: the communication plan and the public benefit of the
intended outcomes
• For Senior Fellows: how pressing is the need for the research time
applied for
Evaluation Criteria
International: additional factors
IPM awards
• The match and appropriateness of planned activities for developing
the partnership
• Degree to which collaboration within the partner area is encouraged
• Ways in which knowledge development is encouraged
• Outcome of the project, both academic and in terms of plans for
continued links
Newton Advanced Fellowships and Newton Mobility Grants
• Expected benefits to overseas individuals and country
Peer Review
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assessment procedures proportionate to scale of
funding
subject specialists within Academy
for international grants, may also use area specialists
recommendations confirmed by Award Committees, in
light of budget available
Code of Practice for all assessors
Northumbria University
Past awards include:
• Dr Pamela Davies (Dept of Social Sciences)
Needs of and Support for Families of Child Sexual Abuse
– Small Research Grant, £6,389.00
• Dr Tom Vickers (Dept of Social Sciences and Languages
The position and experiences of 'new migrants' in the
North East England workforce
– Small Research Grant, £9,896.20
Public engagement
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Media
Websites
Blogs
Social Media
Conferences/talks
Books/publications
Partnerships
Contacts
• Research Awards Team
grants@britac.ac.uk / 020 7969 5217
posts@britac.ac.uk / 020 7969 5270
• International Department
newtonfund@britac.ac.uk / 020 7969 5220
• partnerships@britac.ac.uk / 020 7969 5220
overseas@britac.ac.uk / 020 7969 5220
Mailing List and Information
• To have news about the Academy, such as forthcoming grant
deadline dates, policy statements and events, delivered straight to
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Websites
• www.britishacademy.ac.uk
• https://egap.britac.ac.uk