British Academy Small Research Grants

The British Academy has grants available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. Applications will not be considered for less than £500. The maximum figure for a small research grant is £7,500 over two years. Applications are welcomed from collaborative and individual projects equally. Applications from international groups of scholars are welcomed as long as there is a UK based scholar as the lead applicant.

When applying for a small research grant all applicants should demonstrate the following:
Academy funds are sort for a clearly defined piece of research
This must have an identifiable outcome on completion of the Academy-funded component of the research
The level of the award is up to £7,500 with the minimum being £500.
Grants are awarded for a 24 month period
There are two rounds annually for applications
Deadline for submissions for current applications is 15 March 2010
Results of these applications can be expected from Mid May 2010
Research needs to be taking place on or after 1 June 2010
All applications must be submitted via the e-Gap2 process.

Further details on British Academy grants

British Academy Small Research Grants

Deadline to notify REST of intention to bid: 12 October 2009
Faculty deadline to complete application form: 4 November 2009

The British Academy launched its new online electronic grant administration processing system, e-GAP2, on 20 August 2009. If you are thinking of applying to one of the research grant programmes it is worth learning about e-GAP2 (see: http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=1136) and you can register as a user as soon as the call opens so that you can see what is required for the application.

Grants are offered of up to £7,500 for collaborative or individual projects to facilitate initial project planning and development, to support the direct costs of research, and to enable the advancement of research through workshops or by visits by or to partner scholars.

• Two rounds annually
• Applications available from: 7 October 2009. It will not be possible to access application forms before these dates. Paper-based applications will not be accepted.
• Funder deadline for submission of applications: 23 November 2009
• Results expected: end January 2010
• Research taking place on or after: 1 February 2010

For full guidance on Small Research Grants see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/srg.cfm

For details of all the recently announced British Academy deadlines see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/index.cfm

British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships

Deadline to notify REST of intention to bid: 12 October 2009
Faculty deadline to complete application form: 9 November 2009

The British Academy launched its new online electronic grant administration processing system, e-GAP2, on 20 August 2009. If you are thinking of applying to one of the research grant programmes it is worth learning about e-GAP2 (see: http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=1136) and you can register as a user as soon as the call opens so that you can see what is required for the application.

Postdoctoral Fellowships provide a career development opportunity for outstanding early career researchers who have not yet been appointed to a permanent academic post, to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in a university environment, offering employment for three years.

• Research beginning on or after: 1 September 2010
• Annual competition (two-stage process)
• Applications available from: 28 September 2009. It will not be possible to access application forms before these dates. Paper-based applications will not be accepted.
• Funder deadline for submission of outline proposals: 26 November 2009
• Results of outline stage expected: January 2010
• A smaller group of the most outstanding applicants will then be invited to submit second-stage applications for a deadline in March 2010, final decisions in May.

For full guidance on Postdoctoral Fellowships see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/pdfells.cfm

For details of all the recently announced British Academy deadlines see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/index.cfm

British Academy Overseas Conference Grants

Deadline to notify REST of intention to bid: 16 October 2009
Faculty deadline to complete application form: 30 October 2009

The British Academy launched its new online electronic grant administration processing system, e-GAP2, on 20 August 2009. If you are thinking of applying to one of the research grant programmes it is worth learning about e-GAP2 (see: http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=1136) and you can register as a user as soon as the call opens so that you can see what is required for the application.

Overseas Conference Grants are simple travel grants towards the travel expenses of scholars delivering a paper at a conference overseas.

• Two rounds annually
• Applications available from: 1 October 2009. It will not be possible to access application forms before these dates. Paper-based applications will not be accepted.
• Funder deadline for submission of applications: 16 November 2009
• Results expected: end December 2009
• Conferences taking place on or after: 1 January 2010

For full guidance on Overseas Conference Grants see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/ocg.cfm

For details of all the recently announced British Academy deadlines see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/index.cfm

AHRC Collaborative Research Training Scheme - Student Led Initiative

This route is part of the Collaborative Research Training scheme which provides pump-priming funds to support the provision of specialised subject - or discipline - specific research training which will enable institutions to offer such training to groups of students where it is not possible or cost-effective to provide the training in just one department or institution. The aim of the Student-Led Initiative route is to support the establishment of innovative collaborative research training programmes, originated by and run for postgraduate doctoral students that have a subject – or discipline – specific focus. Training is welcome which has as broad or as narrow a subject focus as is appropriate for the particular field.

The Student-Led Initiative provides awards of up to £2000 towards the costs of setting up a training project, activity or event.

Eligible activities could include:

• Networks or Research Forums
• Journals or on-line web resources: these could include students both submitting, reviewing and editing papers as well as students organising and administering the journal, or provide on-line video resources
• Conferences (as long as these are student-led and student organised)
• Career Development Initiatives
• Roundtable events with academics and practitioners in the relevant field to discuss career pathways and career development issues
• Public Engagement activities: these could be showcase/demonstration events, where students can present their research to community organisations, media, primary and secondary educational pupils, the general public etc.
• Activities involving the exchanges of knowledge involving interaction between students and non-academic organisations. These could be professional interactions such as events engaging with professional bodies, policy makers, government bodies or relevant businesses such as local or national employers

The AHRC are keen to see proposals outlining innovative practices that will benefit a wide range of postgraduate researchers, either by their involvement in the organisation of the programme, or by participating in the scheme.

Events are welcome which address a clearly identified gap in provision within or across subjects, for example additional language skills, fieldwork techniques, practical skills required for specific careers, engagement with professionals or practitioners.

The scheme operates on a rolling deadline with applications accepted throughout the year.

To download the application form and guidance please see: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/CRTS-Student-LedInitiative.aspx

The OU faculty of Arts has had previous funding from this source for the January 2009 conference for postgraduate doctoral students in Classics titled ‘Sex and the (Ancient) City: Love and Friendship in Greece and Rome’.

Internal approval process for bids

If you are thinking of applying for ANY external funding - whether for research, enterprise, teaching or any other activity - you need to let the University know and receive the relevant approvals. Depending on the circumstances, this may take a few weeks. There is a new page on the intranet which outlines the processes with an explanation of which form to use for each type of funding. This can be found at: http://intranet.open.ac.uk/developmentoffice/project-funding/

If you are a member of the Arts Faculty, please notify the Research and Enterprise Team at Arts-REST of any planned funding bids or negotiations.

Small grants for Philosophical and Religious Studies

The Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies are inviting proposals for their latest round of project funding.

Applications are welcomed for the funding of projects designed to:

• encourage a culture in which innovative developments in learning, teaching and assessment are valued and acknowledged at a national level;
• promote good practice in the development and evaluation of innovative methods of learning, teaching and assessment;
• disseminate within the wider community innovative methods or materials originally developed for use within a single institution.

in subject disciplines the Subject Centre covers:

• Philosophy
• Religious Studies
• Theology
• History of Science, Technology and Medicine
• Philosophy of Science

The Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies is setting aside £15,000 for projects in this tranche; the maximum funding for any single proposal will be £3,000.

Additional funding may be available for major collaborative initiatives - contact the Subject Centre for details. Support is also available for those who would like to submit a proposal.

To find out more:

• Visit the website: http://prs.heacademy.ac.uk/view.html/PrsFundingOps/9
• Contact the Subject Centre: email enquiries@prs.heacademy.ac.uk, tel. 0113 343 4184

Application deadline: 12 noon, Friday 26 June 2009

Edited from email from Dr. Clare Saunders, Senior Academic Co-ordinator (Philosophy), Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies, School of Humanities, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK URL: http://prs.heacademy.ac.uk

AHRC Religion and Society Small Grants

The Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Religion and Society Programme is offering approximately eight Small Research Grants. These grants will support projects from less established as well as established senior scholars, and from those wishing to undertake small scale innovative or short projects of up to one year.

The project can be for between £20,000 and £100,000 Full Economic Cost (fEC).

The recently introduced requirements of Impact Summary, Academic Beneficiaries and Impact Plan are compulsory for proposals submitted for this scheme.

The closing date for the receipt of applications is 4pm on the 30th April 2009.

For more information see: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/ReligionandSociety-SmallGrants.aspx

ESF Exploratory Workshop call open - deadline 30 April 2009

Each year, the European Science Foundation (ESF) supports approximately 50 Exploratory Workshops across all scientific domains.

These small, interactive group sessions are aimed at opening up new directions in research to explore new fields with a potential impact on developments in science. The workshops, which usually last 1-3 days, have a wide participation from across Europe and involve mature scientists as well as young, independent researchers and scholars with leadership potential. The relatively small scale (in terms of people involved) provides an ideal platform for focus on the topic and for all participants to contribute to discussions and plan follow-up collaborative work. Interdisciplinary topics are greatly encouraged.

Awards will be up to a maximum value of 15000 EUR.

Exploratory workshop awards are for events with a maximum number of 30 participants (including speakers and convenors).

ESF funds are intended to cover the costs of workshop activities and travel, accommodation and subsistence for participants.

For workshops to be held in 2010 - Deadline on 30 April 2009 (16:00 CET).

For details of how to apply see ESF website: http://www.esf.org/activities/exploratory-workshops/ew-call-for-proposals/ew-call-for-proposals-submission-details-and-procedure.html

Small grants to promote research links between UK and Japan

Daiwa Foundation (UK)
The Daiwa Foundation is a grant giving charity which aims to promote links between the UK and Japan. The Foundation awards grants to individuals and institutions in the UK and Japan in all areas of the visual and performing arts, the humanities, the social sciences, science and engineering, mathematics, business studies, and education. A range of organisations can apply including schools and universities, and grass roots and professional groups.

There are a number of grants programmes available. The most relevant to researchers in the Open University are:

• Daiwa Foundation Awards - Awards of £5,000-£15,000 are available for collaborative projects that enable British and Japanese partners to work together, preferably in the context of an institutional relationship
• The Royal Society Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Joint Project Grants -These grants support travel, subsistence and research for collaborative projects between British and Japanese researchers in the field of science. The grants available can cover all fields of activity, including educational and grassroots exchanges, research travel, the organisation of conferences, exhibitions, collaborative projects between British and Japanese researchers in the field of science and other projects and events that fulfil the objectives of the Foundation.

Next closing date: 31st March 2009

For more information and application form see website: http://www.dajf.org.uk/

Small grants for Arts, Humanities and Social Science research on Iraq and neighbouring countries

The British Institute for the Study of Iraq (formerly the British School of Archaeology in Iraq) (BISI) promotes, supports and undertakes research on Iraq and neighbouring countries. Its academic coverage includes anthropology, archaeology, geography, history, language and related disciplines within the arts, humanities, and social sciences from the earliest times until the present.

Development Grants
Grants are available to support development events and projects, such as lectures, study days and popular publications, that relate to Iraq and neighbouring countries and to the areas of interest covered by BISI. A Development Grant will normally be for an amount up to £500, although more substantial grants may be made if merited.

BISI considers applications for Development Grants twice yearly. The deadlines for applications and references are 15 April and 15 October. BISI will let applicants know the decision concerning their application by early July or early January respectively.

Research and Conference Grants
The Institute invites funding applications twice a year for grants in aid of research or for the organisation of academic conferences. All applications and references must be received by 31 January or 31 October in any given year. Awards will normally fall within a limit of £4,000, though more substantial awards may be made.

Applicants must be residents of the UK or, exceptionally, other individuals whose academic research closely coincides with that of the BISI.

For more information see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/INSTITUTES/IRAQ/grants.htm

Christian Trust Fund - possible small grants for research

The Sir Halley Stewart Trust funds two areas that may be of relevance to researchers in the Arts faculty (and/or possibly for inter-faculty collaboration), but this is a very long shot and is only included in this blog as reference information rather than encouragement to apply. The two areas are:

• Research focussing on developments in medical ethics (under their 'Medical' priority)
• Innovative projects which aim to facilitate a better understanding between faiths (under their 'Religion' priority)

Types of grant given: Grants are normally given in the form of a salary. The Trustees prefer to support innovative and imaginative people - often early in their research career - with whom they can develop a direct relationship. Applications should be submitted by those directly involved in the work - not development offices or paid fundraisers. (However, if any OU academic were to apply to this Trust they would need to follow OU procedures and receive RED Form approval). Sometimes a contribution towards the expenses of a project are given.

Grants are normally limited to 2 or 3 years, but are sometimes extended. They are paid to or through registered UK charities.

More information about this Trust and examples of projects and research that they have funded in the past can be found on their website at: http://www.sirhalleystewart.org.uk/index.html

Small research grants to study conflict phenomena and peace strategies

The International Peace Research Association (IPRA) Foundation provides small research grants (up to $3000) to support systematic observation or study of conflict phenomena and peace strategies. For more information please see: http://www.iprafoundation.org/application.shtml

Royal Historical Society Small Research Grants for Postgraduates

Royal Historical Society awards are intended principally for postgraduate students registered for a research degree at United Kingdom institutions of higher education (full-time and part-time); the Society will also consider applications from individuals who have completed doctoral dissertations within the last two years and are not yet in full-time employment.

Grants of between £75 - £500 are offered under four schemes:

• for individual travel to conferences
• for research expenses within the United Kingdom
• for research expenses outside the United Kingdom
• for organisers of workshops and conferences to encourage the participation of junior researchers

The average grant is for a sum of £250, and priority will be given to new applicants. All applicants, however, are expected to seek funding from their own institutions in the first instance. Please note that grants cannot be sought retrospectively.

The closing dates for applications in the year 2009 are:
for individual travel to conferences; research expenses within and outside the UK:

• 27 April 2009
• 19 June 2009
• 14 September 2009
• 16 November 2009

for organisers of workshops and conferences to encourage the participation of junior researchers:

• 27 April 2009
• 16 November 2009

For more information see: http://www.royalhistoricalsociety.org/postgraduates.htm

2009 ESRC/AHRC Library of Congress Scholarship Scheme

The 2009 ESRC/AHRC Library of Congress (LoC) scholarship scheme is now live. These prestigious scholarships offer ESRC/AHRC funded doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and research assistants the opportunity to access more than 138 million items housed in the world-class facilities at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. The vast resources at the library cover far more than just American Studies and as such you are invited to apply whatever your research interests. You can view the Library of Congress classification outline at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/.

The scholarships provide the opportunity for ESRC/AHRC funded doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and research assistants based in UK universities to spend between three and six months at the Library of Congress, with access to the internationally renowned research collections held there. In addition to any stipend granted in conjunction with your award the LoC scheme offers an additional £500 towards flight costs and £1,000 a month towards accommodation costs.

The closing date for scholarships to take place between 1 October 2009 and 30 September 2010 is 17:00 on 27 February 2009.

For further information visit http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/LibraryofCongress.aspx

Edited from email from Vivien Bacigalupo, Head of Research Degrees (Acting) 02/02/2009

Small Grants from the Classical Association

The Classical Association awards in the region of £50,000 each year to classical projects and conferences, mainly in the UK. Past examples of awards have been in the range £250 to £30,000.

The Association will consider applications for:

• Subventions to summer schools and to institutions offering extra-mural courses in Greek, Latin and Classical Civilisation.
• Bursaries for teachers attending courses abroad, notably the British School at Athens Easter Course.
• Support of Greek and Latin reading competitions arranged by CA branches.
• Support of regional Greek or Roman days or of school conferences.
• Subventions to academic conferences particularly when of broad appeal and held in major centres, with a view especially to assisting students, teachers and scholars from East European and developing countries.

The Association prefers to give grants in the form of student or other bursaries, and does not normally subsidise the running costs of conferences.

The CA runs its own bursary scheme for students (undergraduate, graduate, PGCE) and teachers attending the annual CA Conference held in April each year. This has been widened to include subventions to individuals.

It is a condition of all grants awarded that the Classical Association's support be recognised in any literature and that a report be provided of how the funds were used, including final accounts where appropriate.

Decisions on grant applications are normally made by Council which meets at the start of April and in mid-November each year.

The deadline for applications for the next Council meeting is 20 March 2009.

More information on the Classical Association website:
http://www.classicalassociation.org/Grants/Grants.html

ESRC Small Grants Scheme - no deadlines

The Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) Small Grants scheme is for applications between £15,000 and £99,999 (at 100% Full Economic Costing). This scheme is particularly useful for new researchers making their first application to the ESRC.

The remit of the Small Grants scheme is very similar to that of the ESRC Standard Grant scheme. Aspects such as topic choice, funding criteria and acceptance of proposals are the same for both schemes. The content and quality of the application you submit to the ESRC will determine whether or not you are successful.

A member of the Research Grants Board and one member of the Council’s Virtual Research College will assess the application. The Board Chair or Vice Chair makes the funding recommendation with the help of these assessments. Funding decisions are usually made within 14 weeks.

When should you aim to submit?
There are no specific deadlines for this scheme. You should work back from when you need to start the Research, to decide when you should submit. You should allow about 5 to 6 months between submission and decision. Although for Small Grants the decision can be quicker, it is better to plan for a longer processing time so that you do not receive a decision after your intended start date.

Application is by electronic form through the Je-S system. Always check the guidelines carefully before making an application. There are general guidance notes on constructing a good proposal to the ESRC Research Grants scheme on the ERSC website.

More information about the ERSC Small and Standard Grants scheme is available on the ESRC website.

If you are considering applying for this funding, please contact Arts-REST. It will need to go through the normal RED form approval process.

Yale Centre for British Art - Visiting Scholarships (up to 4 months)

The Yale Center for British Art offers residential awards ranging from one to four months to scholars undertaking postdoctoral or equivalent research related to British art. These awards allow scholars of literature, history, the history of art, and related fields to study the Center’s holdings of paintings, drawings, prints, rare books, and manuscripts. The Center also offers several pre-doctoral residential awards ranging from one to two months for graduate students writing doctoral dissertations in the field of British art.

Visiting Scholar awards include the cost of travel to and from New Haven and also provide accommodations and a living allowance. Recipients are required to be in residence in New Haven and must be free of all other significant professional responsibilities during their stay.

Applications to become a visiting scholar between July 2009 and June 2010 must reach the YCBA by January 16, 2009. It is too late to apply for this deadline, but if this is something that is applicable and of interest it is worth looking at this again around September/October 2009 for an application in January 2010.

For more information see: http://ycba.yale.edu/education/edu_fellowships.html

Up to £2,000 to study Western Medieval Manuscripts

The British Academy has issued a new call for applications for the Neil Ker Memorial Fund Awards. The aims of the Neil Ker Memorial Fund are to promote the study of Western medieval manuscripts, in particular those of British interest. Normally, grants will only be given for monographs, secondary works, editions or studies of documents, texts or illustrations, that include analysis of the distinctive features of original manuscripts. Awards are normally tenable for up to 12 months. In general, awards do not exceed £2,000.

The deadline for applications is 15 March 2009 for awards to be taken up on or after 1 July 2009. Awards will be announced at the end of June 2009.

Details and application forms are available from: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/nkmf.cfm

If you are considering applying for this funding, please contact Arts-REST. It will need to go through the normal RED form approval process.

The Nuffield Foundation - Social Science Small Grants Scheme

This Scheme makes small grants for social science research expenses. Awards are normally up to £7,500, although in exceptional circumstances awards may be made of up to a maximum of £12,000. The Scheme has no closing date. Applicants must be resident and working at a UK institution, although the research may be undertaken outside the UK.

The Scheme has three priorities for funding:

• projects that develop social science research capacity particularly by supporting the work of those new to social science research;


• self-contained or pilot or preliminary projects that address the wider objects of the Foundation, namely a broad concern with the 'advancement of social well-being';


• outstanding small projects in the social sciences.

These grants are intended for self-contained research projects in the social sciences, including pilot studies. Their main purpose is to meet the cost of research assistance, research materials, data collection and analysis, and travel and subsistence in this country and overseas.

All applicants to the Social Science Schemes need to comply with Nuffield Foundation policy on independent ethical scrutiny.

Please read the statement on the ethical review of research projects before completing your application. You must address this issue in the research statement you submit as part of your application.

Elgibility
The Nuffield Foundation make awards only to people who have a post with a permanent contract, or a research contract of three years or more, in a university or independent research institute in the United Kingdom. The grants are administered by the researcher’s institution and are not paid to applicants personally.

You can apply to the Scheme even if you have applied before, once any current award is completed. Each project will be judged on its merits, but they accept resubmissions only if these have been invited by trustees.

Exclusions
Research students, whether working for a PhD or other higher degrees, are NOT eligible.

Grants are not usually given for:

• subsistence for work from home


• attendance at conferences or courses


• conferring with colleagues in other institutions


• the organisation or holding of academic conferences or seminars


• the purchase of computer hardware or software


• work in progress or projects that are already grant aided (but see point 9 in Notes for completing the application form)


• literature and systematic reviews


• publication and printing costs


• health and medical research

The Scheme does not cover replacement teaching costs, nor does it pay salaries of permanent university staff in receipt of the HEFCE subsidy.

Information from www.nuffieldfoundation.org on 14/11/08.
Please check website for up to date guidance before making any application and if you are a member of staff in the OU faculty of Arts, please make sure you discuss your proposed application with the Research and Enterprise Support Team (REST) at least 4 weeks before you intend to submit your application.

For more information see: http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/go/grants/smallgrants/page_123.html