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British Academy Early Career Researcher Network Seed Fund 2026-27

A nine month programme aimed at fostering the development of new research initiatives while supporting the career progression of Early Career Researchers (ECRs).

Career stage
Early-career
Funding status
Closed for applications
Scheme opens date
23 Sep 2026
Deadline date
18 Nov 2026 - 17:00 GMT
Duration of award
9 months
Contact details

The ECRN Team at [email protected]

Belonging to the Early Career Researcher Network gives you access to the British Academy seed funding programme, designed to provide Early Career Researchers, particularly those with limited experience in securing funding, an opportunity to enhance their research portfolio and gain leverage for further funding from the Academy and other sources.

About the programme

The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (BA ECRN) is a programme aimed at fostering the development of new research initiatives while supporting the career progression of Early Career Researchers (ECRs).

It invites members of the Early Career Researcher Network to submit proposals for unique and innovative nine-month research projects, either as joint collaborations or individual efforts.

Applicants are encouraged to propose interdisciplinary and collaborative projects, especially those that involve partnerships with non-HEI (Higher Education Institutions) organisations such as Independent Research Organisations (IROs), charities, and industry. We also welcome collaborations with independent researchers outside of HEIs.

Aims

The awards are specifically designed to provide ECRs, particularly those with limited experience in securing funding, an opportunity to enhance their research portfolio and gain leverage for further funding from the Academy and other sources.

These awards are flexible, responding to the needs of British Academy Early Career Researcher Network members and are an opportunity to develop new partnerships and explore innovative and more risky, novel concepts.

Grant amount

Proposals can request up to £5,000 of funding. These small awards are intended to cover the direct costs associated with activities that promote the development of new research collaborations.

For the 2025/26 programme, we anticipated to be able to award between four and six grants per Cluster, with the possibility of additional awards depending on available funding. We are delighted to have granted 45 Seed Fund awards for this round. For the full list of Seed Fund research projects, see our past awards page.

Examples of project costs may include, but are not limited to:

  • Pump-priming activities (such as meetings, workshops and sandpits) to develop new research projects, perhaps with small scale outputs that will lead to larger grant submissions;
  • Research activity, including small equipment purchase, specialist services (e.g., transcription, videography, printing), venue hire, participant engagement incentives, travel and subsistence;
  • Activity linking research or outcomes to external partners and interested parties such as creative industries, charities, businesses, policymakers, or government organisations; or for public and widening participation engagement activities.

Eligibility 

The programme is open to:

  • Members of the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network who have attended three British Academy Early Career Researcher Network events, online or in-person.
  • Both the lead applicant and co-applicant must be members of the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network.

Eligible researchers must:

  • not received grant funding over £11,000, within the last two years, from the British Academy or elsewhere.
  • produce an end of project report 3 months after the research project is complete.

Applications

Applications will be assessed by a Fellow of the British Academy and fellow Early Career Researcher Network members.

Applications will undergo a three-stage review process:

  1. Eligibility Check: The ECRN Regional Coordinators will conduct an initial eligibility check to ensure the applications meet the required criteria.
  2. Assessment: The review process is led by a Fellow of the British Academy, and eligible applications will be peer reviewed by ECRN members.
  3. Partial Randomisation: The highest-ranked applications will be put through a partial randomisation process, after which the selected applications will be awarded funding.

The British Academy has set aside specific funding to support additional needs that applicants and award holders may require. This funding would be in addition to the amount already requested for research expenses. Find out more about additional needs funding.

Scheme guidance

Please read the scheme and application guidance carefully to support you in submitting an application.

The 2025/26 call has now closed.

The 26/27 Seed Fund call will be opening on Wednesday 23rd September 2026 and closing on Wednesday 28th November 2026.

The online application form will only be accessible to ECRN members via the Online Community Platform.

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