The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. These awards, up to £10,000 in value and tenable for up to 24 months, are provided to cover the cost of the expenses arising from a defined research project.
Funding status
Open for applications
Career stage
Postdoctoral or equivalent research
By far the British Academy’s most popular scheme in terms of applications received and number of awards made, the BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants stand as one of the Academy’s highest profile programmes with awards made to academics working at around 100 Institutions around the UK.
These awards, up to £10,000 in value and tenable for up to 24 months, are provided to cover the cost of the expenses arising from a defined research project.
Funded as a public-private partnership, including BEIS (Discovery)
Eligibility
Awards are open to postdoctoral scholars (or equivalent) who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. Applications require the approval of the applicant's employing institution, but are not limited to those of any particular status (e.g. Lecturer, Professor etc). Application may be made by independent scholars (who should choose 'independent scholar' as the relevant choice from the list of organisations in Flexi-Grant). Co-applicants may be from anywhere in the world, but the Principal Applicant must be ordinarily resident in the UK.
Level of award
Up to £10,000.
Please note that the funding provided through the Small Research Grants scheme cannot be used to cover the cost of replacement teaching, payment in lieu of salary or computer kit and that the scheme is not covered within the FEC regime – the £10,000 are available to the award-holder only for direct research expenses.
Period of award
Grants are tenable for between 1 and 24 months.
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). Applications will not be considered for less than £500. The maximum grant is £10,000 over two years. Applications for collaborative or individual projects are equally welcome under this scheme. Applications from international groups of scholars are welcome, provided there is a UK-based scholar as lead applicant.
Funds are available to facilitate initial project planning and development; to support the direct costs of research; and to enable the advancement of research through workshops or conferences, or visits by or to partner scholars. Applicants may seek support for any combination of eligible activity and cost up to the overall limit of £10,000. The Academy will assess applications equally on their merits, with no preference as to mode of enquiry.
Grants are not intended to support interchange between UK and overseas scholars where there is no planned programme of activity to meet a clearly specified research objective (dissemination of results of research conducted under the aegis of the project for which funding is sought is a permitted purpose, but applications purely to organise an international conference, whether held in the UK or overseas will not be considered); nor are grants intended solely to support attendance at open conferences organised by a third party or international organisation. (In other words, this scheme does not cover applications that might previously have been made to the now discontinued British Academy's Conference Support Grant or Overseas Conference Grant schemes, unless there is a direct connection to the dissemination of results of research funded under this proposal.)
