How we make a difference

Funding research for the benefit of all

At the British Academy, we champion social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy (SHAPE) by funding research that makes a difference to people, societies and places around the world. Here, we bring together our impact stories, data insights, and evidence of the outcomes driven by the research we fund.

Data is updated annually in September and reflects the past 12-month period unless otherwise stated.

We are supporting the next generation of researchers

Getting into academia can be challenging with fewer positions available in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and tighter research budgets.

Through our Early Career Researcher Network, we connect and empower the next generation of researchers by providing training, collaboration opportunities, and a platform for early-career voices to be heard. Membership now stands at 7000+.

We also offer a range of funding grants focused on key development periods (Postdoctoral, Early-career, Mid-career, Senior) so we can support researchers at every stage of their career.

We are committed to strengthening the SHAPE disciplines through our Fellows

With our Fellows, the British Academy champions the value of the humanities and social sciences. In 2025, our Fellows community reached over 1,800 members, including leaders in their fields from across the UK and around the world.

Our Fellows are outstanding scholars who have achieved distinction in their branch of the humanities and social sciences. They make a variety of vital contributions to our work, including providing expert peer review, and leading and supporting our policy and public engagement work.

We fund innovative researchers that drive change

The Academy focuses on curiosity driven research across the whole range of the humanities and social sciences. In the 2024-25 financial year, we supported hundreds of research awards across conferences, fellowships, challenge-led grants, and small research grants.

We believe in funding projects that support research talent, build international engagement and supports vital connections between policy and research. Some of the work we fund addresses urgent issues in society and the economy, while other projects share fresh insights into people and cultures.

We offered just over £71 million to researchers in the UK and overseas, ensuring proposals reflect a diverse range of voices across gender, geography, age, and career stage.

Our past award-holders bring further funding into the research landscape

Past award-holders secured over £30 million in follow-on-funding as a direct result of being associated with four of our programmes designed to develop talent among UK SHAPE researchers at each stage of their career. These programmes were reviewed as part of our Value for Money Analysis: Summary Report in 2024.

The Academy also supported the UK's return to the Horizon Europe programme – the EU’s £80bn science research initiative.

The Academy hosts the British International Research Institutes who leveraged an additional £3.6 million in the past year, extending the UK's global influence as a centre for robust research.

We ensure our research is accessible

Insights from our funded research are shared through podcasts, videos and blogs.

Our public programme reached almost 10,500 attendees in 2024, through lectures, panel discussions, and cultural events - with the potential to double this figure with the opening of our new event spaces. These moments bring research into direct dialogue with the public, inspiring curiosity and debate.

Find out more about our upcoming public programmes on our Events page.

Our funding reaches academics across the UK

This map shows the location of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) where our successful award-holders have been based between 2019-2025. Many of the HEIs in the UK are based in England, but we consistently fund researchers based in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the rest of the world.

Alongside supporting the whole country’s research base, many of the projects we fund are deeply rooted in communities and regions.

Researchers share the impact of their projects on global communities

We foster international collaboration in the humanities and social sciences, and promote the sharing of international perspectives on global challenges. We recognise the importance of nurturing research partnerships that promote mutual benefit, respect, and fairness within our international programmes.

Watch all researcher videos on our playlist.