The British Academy provides summaries of its roles, values, strategic priorities, subject areas, and relation to other research councils. It outlines its various research funding opportunities for individuals and international engagement, including Postdoctoral Fellowships, Mid-Career Fellowships, Small Research Grants, and Newton Fund schemes. Evaluation criteria focus on academic merit, originality, and intended outcomes. The Academy engages with the public through various outreach activities and contacts potential applicants regarding funding deadlines and requirements.

1. The British Academy
Research Funding
Jack Caswell (Assistant Head of Research Awards)

2. About the Academy: Roles
• A Fellowship
• A Funding Body
• A Voice

3. About the Academy: Values
• Excellence
• Independence
• Distinctiveness

4. Strategic Priorities 2013-18
• Championing the Humanities and Social Sciences
• Advancing Research
• Fostering Excellence
• Strengthening Policy Making
• Engaging with the Public
• Promoting Internationalism

5. Prospering Wisely

6. Our subject areas
Other societies
• The Humanities
• The Social Sciences
• The Royal Society
• The Royal Academy of Engineering
• The Academy of Medical Sciences
• The Royal Society of Edinburgh

7. Relation to Research Councils
The British Academy
• ESRC – social sciences
• AHRC – arts and humanities

8. Focus of research funding
• Individuals
• International engagement
• Excellence and engagement
• Languages and Quantitative Skills

9. Division of spend 2014-15

10. Research and international spend 2014-15

11. 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.

12. 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

13. Research Awards & Int’l Schemes
• 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)

14. Postdoctoral Fellowships
• currently offering up to 45 awards each year
• tenable for three years
– experience of independent research
– introduction to teaching
– career development
– output and dissemination

15. Postdoctoral Fellowships
Eligibility
– 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

16. Postdoctoral Fellowships
• 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. Mid-Career Fellowships (1 year)
• 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. International

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. Sponsored
Overseas Institutes

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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

36. Peer Review
• 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

37. 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

38. Public engagement
• Media
• Websites
• Blogs
• Social Media
• Conferences/talks
• Books/publications
• Partnerships

39. 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

40. Mailing List and Information
• To have news about the Academy, such as forthcoming grant
deadline dates, policy statements and events, delivered straight to
your inbox, please subscribe to our mailing list.
• Register from link on website, www.britac.ac.uk
• Follow the Academy on Twitter and Facebook
Twitter: @britac_news
Facebook: facebook.com/The BritishAcademy

41. Websites
• www.britishacademy.ac.uk
• https://egap.britac.ac.uk