What can my proposal focus on?
Please read the ‘Scope of Fellowships’ section of the scheme guidance notes carefully. Applications which do not address the scopes set out below will not be taken forward through the assessment process.
The Academy is looking to support awards that work in the following fields:
- Environment, Sustainability & Nature
- Transformative Technologies
- Health & Wellbeing
- Cities & Urbanisation
- Global Order, Geopolitics and International Affairs
Applications can consider interventions across one or more of a variety of mechanisms of change, including awareness and attitudes, mutual understanding and agreement, communication of and access to, interaction between policymakers and researchers, skills development, and/or structure and processes related to evidence-informed policymaking. These are expected to be retrospective studies or related to knowledge systems strengthening:
- Research related to how evidence use theory and research has been implemented in practice. The Academy expects these to be retrospective studies that interrogate the underlying factors and context that influenced decision-making and policy change, or lack thereof, or to be analyses of interventions that are being used to improve the use of evidence in policymaking. They could compare across different policy areas, or focus on a single policy area and offer analysis about different components of evidence use and policymaking related to that area at different points in time or implementation at place and scale. This could be in relation to the use or misuse/selective use of evidence and the Academy expects these studies to include a robust counterfactual approach. In addition, the Academy would welcome applications that can contribute to strengthening the evidence base on whether, and in what conditions, evidence use leads to improved policy decision-making and development/ODA outcomes.
- Research or research-based activities related to knowledge systems strengthening and/or organisational change to support evidence use in practice. Organisational change here can be understood in a formal sense such as a government department or more informally such as in terms of community capability to engage with and utilise evidence to help inform, design and create policy. The Academy expects these to be retrospective studies that interrogate the underlying factors and context in which such strengthening or change have taken place. They could compare across different contexts and sites, or focus on a single case. Applications would need to examine the aims of the original activity, the success or lack thereof to date, and provide conclusions on lessons learned and recommendations for the future.
- Knowledge systems strengthening and/or organisational change to support evidence use in practice. Organisational change here can be understood in a formal sense such as a government department or more informally such as in terms of community capability to engage with and utilise evidence to help inform, design and create policy. Applications would need to examine constraints to date, including in the specific context, and set out a research-informed approach for addressing them, demonstrating how they are building on applying prior knowledge. Applications would be expected to take a pilot approach that could include for example stakeholder dialogues, diagnostic exercises, training and knowledge brokering. The Academy would expect applications to set out a need for the pilot intervention and both how and why it would be impactful, including how it differs and/or reinforces and builds on learning from previous approaches, an appropriate and feasible approach to embedding the strengthening and/or change in future practice, and a clear pathway to sustainability well beyond the length of the grant.
What disciplines should applicants be from?
Primary Applicants should be from any field of study within SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy). There is more flexibility for co-applicants' disciplinary background, but the overall project should be in the humanities and social sciences, and any additional expertise would need to be justified in the application.
What is the timeline for the application process and award start dates?
The deadline for applications to be submitted to this call is 19 February 2025 at 17:00 (GMT). This includes the employing institution’s approval of the completed application by the submission deadline. Any applications submitted after that deadline will be ineligible. The final awards panel will meet after the call for applications is closed. Decisions are expected to be communicated in mid to late March.
We expect awards to start by April 2025 so that award holders can participate in mandatory cohort activities. Applicants are able to suggest a summer start date in their application as long as they confirm that they will participate in the mandatory cohort activities prior to that, but will need to justify the start date and note that the Final Awards Panel will make the final decision.
There is space in the application form for you to note your intended start date.
Can I work on a country that is not listed?
The British Academy is inviting proposals related to evidence-informed policy-making in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries.
Which costs are eligible?
Eligible costs are:
- the time of the PI and Co-Applicants
- research assistance
- travel, fieldwork and related expenses
- networking costs
- university costs in hosting and supporting the project, with award holders expected to base the division of spend on the Full Economic Costing basis at 80 per cent.
80 per cent FEC is understood in the following manner:
- Directly incurred staff costs including PI and team salary and oncosts: 80 per cent
- Other Directly Incurred costs including travel, fieldwork and related expenses: 100 per cent
- Directly Allocated (including estates costs) and Indirect Costs: 80per cent
- The only exception to this understanding and 80 per cent FEC in general is the costing of international Principal Investigators or international Co-Applicants or partners in non-academic settings (in the UK or internationally) who demonstrably do not use and would not use FEC modelling. For such partners the costing regime used should be at 100 per cent for direct costs and a flat-rate of 25 per cent for indirect costs. UK-based institutions that would be expected to use FEC may not use this costing regime. It is only for institutions as described above. Institutions costed using this regime must be costed separately in the application budget table and clearly explained in the ‘Justification’ field.
Ineligible costs include:
- Purchasing of assets
- PhD studentships
- computer hardware including laptops, electronic notebooks, digital cameras, etc.
- books and other permanent resources
- the preparation of camera-ready copy, copy-editing, proof-reading, indexing, nor any other editorial task
- subventions for direct production costs (printing, binding, distribution, marketing etc.)
- costs of publication in electronic media
- travel and maintenance expenses for purposes such as lecture tours or to write up the results of research
The award will have a maximum award value of £150,000 on an 80 per cent Full Economic Costing (FEC) basis; £150,000 is the maximum Academy contribution.
Applicants should prepare accurate costings for the proposed expenses, and should be particularly careful not to overestimate the resources required. Costs should be clearly itemised and justified in terms of the proposed programme for this application.
My co-applicant is based overseas, should we complete the Due Diligence section?
The Due Diligence section is only applicable when the PI is based at an overseas institution and their institution has not already submitted an approved due diligence to the Academy.
Can I include additional co-applicants (co-I) and/or Partners be based in a non-ODA country?
If your application meets the eligibility criteria for the PI and Co-Is, you could include additional Co-Is/partners in non-ODA countries. You would need to explain how this is necessary for your proposal, and how their inclusion is value for money.
Is it possible for our institution to submit more than one proposal for this call?
An individual cannot be the PI on more than one bid under this Programme, but an institution can support more than one application.
Is other support for applicants available?
The British Academy has set aside specific funding to support any additional needs that applicants and award holders may have. This funding is available both to applicants, to assist in making an application to British Academy schemes, and award holders. Funding is managed outside of the Evidence Informed Policymaking Grants application process. Further information can be found on our additional needs page.
Will we be getting feedback on our unsuccessful proposals?
Unfortunately, feedback is not a feature of this scheme.