Global Innovation Fellowships – The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP): scheme guidance notes

1) The programme is supported under the UK Government’s International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF). The £337m fund is designed to enable potential and foster prosperity. It puts research and innovation at the heart of our international relationships, supporting UK researchers and innovators to work with peers around the world on the major themes of our time: planet, health, tech, and talent. The fund is managed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and delivered by a consortium of the UK’s leading research and innovation bodies

2) The objective of the Global Innovation Fellowships is to provide opportunities to UK-based early- and mid-career researchers from across the humanities and social sciences to develop their skills, networks and careers in the creative and cultural, public, private and policy sectors to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions. Through the Global Innovation Fellowships, researchers in the SHAPE community will be supported to create new and deeper links beyond academia, so enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, as well as individual skills development.

3) This is the second call for this programme, offering opportunities for Global Innovation Fellowship award holders to embed themselves and be based in the office of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin. Awards from the first round can be seen here.

4) The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) is committed to fostering impactful foreign and security policy on a German and European level that promotes democracy, peace, and the rule of law. DGAP’s experts provide decision-makers in politics, business, and civil society with strategic advice based on their foreign policy research and train young professionals in international leadership programmes. DGAP conducts action-oriented, practical research, developing concrete solutions for pressing foreign policy concerns and contributing expertise to strategically address the challenges of an increasingly unstable world.

5) The aim is to have a mutually beneficial partnership between the fellowship award holder and DGAP with each able to take advantage of fresh perspectives and expand their networks and reach. It will enable the award holder to strengthen and create new links across policy and academia, enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, and the opportunity to develop new approaches and solutions to policy challenges through providing a different perspective.

6) The Academy is offering up to two 1-year fellowships hosted in DGAP’s office in Berlin. These are offered as awards for up to £150,000 for 12 months in duration (with Full Economic Costing at 80%).

7) Applications must be submitted by 25 September 2024, 17.00 (UK time).

8) Interviews for shortlisted candidates will be held the week commencing 28 October 2024.

9) The British Academy is inviting applications from early-career and mid-career researchers who are working on the themes outlined below who could contribute fresh perspectives to the specified challenges. Please note that applications from independent researchers cannot be accepted in this round of the scheme.

10) Applicants might have expertise from a range of disciplinary, conceptual and methodological perspectives, including analytical, policy and practical perspectives.

11) Eligible applicants must be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom with a current long-term appointment that will continue for at least as long as the period of the award. You must be an early-career or mid-career researcher based at an institution in the UK (e.g., a Higher Education Institution [HEI] or Independent Research Organisation [IRO]), from disciplines within the Humanities and Social Sciences that is listed as an approving-organisation in the British Academy’s grant management system, Flexi-Grant. This institution will be issued the Terms and Conditions of the award, if successful.

12) This is an opportunity for award holders to form new collaborations and draw on the insights this brings to inform, influence and develop their future development. We seek open-mindedness, a willingness to explore new perspectives and to experiment with innovative approaches. You will have an appetite for working across academia, policy and practice, and will demonstrate a commitment to being genuinely challenge driven and dedicated to integrating the perspectives, needs and priorities of the partner organisation.

13) All applicants should strongly consider the potential for engagement between academic and non-academic environments and the value this would bring to their career and the value they can bring to the work and purpose of the DGAP.

14) Applicants must also meet the requirements set out below in the ‘Working at and with the DGAP’ section.

15) Applicants may not hold more than one British Academy award of a comparable nature at any one time.

16) Postgraduate students are not eligible to apply for grant support from the Academy, and Applicants are asked to confirm in the personal details section(s) that they are not currently working towards a PhD, nor awaiting the outcome of a viva voce examination, nor awaiting the acceptance of any corrections required by the examiners.

17) Applications are invited in any of the following four areas.

18) Technology and International Affairs. Understanding different national approaches to technological developments is important to modern geo-strategy, as is a sense of how technological advances alter international opportunities and risks. A Fellowship in this area could include: how technological advance is affecting foreign, security and trade policy; the governance, ethics, regulation and/or societal engagement related to technological advancement and emerging technologies; the impact of technology on international chains of supply, production and labour; how to build secure and competitive national innovation and industrial ecosystems in a context of global interdependence; how to establish regimes for emerging and disruptive technologies whose potential is not yet clear.

19) Global Order and Disorder. A Fellowship in this area could explore a wide range of challenges and perspectives on global order and disorder, including how the politics of trade, technology, finance, and/or energy can be, and are being, employed to achieve strategic goals for nation states, commercial actors and other stakeholders; how different regional trading orders are emerging and how they relate to global institutions; how to differentiate between revisionism and legitimate strategies to change international order in these fields; and ways for states to cooperate on global goods across value-based divides.

20) Eastern and South-eastern Europe. Eastern and South-eastern Europe are a major focus for EU, German, Russian, Turkish and UK foreign and security policy currently, as well as for the USA, China, and the Gulf States. A Fellowship in this area could include: relations of EU Member States to “third countries” in the region; foreign influence and illicit activity; policy ideas from the region for European technology, energy and finance policy; new forms of infrastructure financing and partnership; impacts for the emerging European security order.

21) Sustainability, Nature & Climate. Ensuring the just transition to a decarbonised society whilst tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is key to ensuring progress towards more inclusive economies and international orders. It is also fraught with problems of solidarity and mistrust. A Fellowship in this area would focus on the climate, sustainability and nature-based challenges of our time and how they affect foreign, security and international development policies; how investments in the green transition can challenge international security, from for example competition for rare earths to large-scale energy generation projects; the scope to build partnerships between the world’s post-industrial and industrial economies in a context of competitive reindustrialisation.

22) Successful applicants would be expected to produce policy-relevant analysis for German decision-makers. They do not need an understanding of German politics, but they should be able to offer new approaches to typical foreign policy dilemmas in their chosen field and be ready to engage with policymakers and further stakeholders in Germany.

23) There are not any preconceived ideas about the disciplinary background of the award holder, but the applicant will need to demonstrate a solid understanding of the relevant issues, including the applicable policy landscape and the systemic challenges that it faces. Language skills where relevant are desirable but not essential.

24) These Fellowships will be fully integrated into the DGAP structure and are placed within a centre and/or research area focussed team in DGAP’s offices: the award holder will have a line manager and additional support and mentoring will be provided.

25) Work-planning is a mixture of demand and self-tasking. An indicative list of tasks includes: writing papers and shorter notes, oral briefings for officials and policymakers, meeting external stakeholders and partners, as well as organising and speaking at events. The award holder will agree the outline of a work programme with their DGAP line manager and team.

26) It is expected that each award holder will develop a range of outputs, however, it is a requirement that each award holder must complete by the end of their award at least one substantial policy paper in their area of interest of around 2,500-4,000 words accompanied by a policy brief of no more than 1,000 words.

27) The ability to communicate clearly and succinctly, highlighting policy relevance to non-experts is of importance to all DGAP’s work. So too is the ability to work collaboratively with others and to do so at pace, sometimes delivering to tight deadlines.

28) The award holder will need to agree to respect DGAP’s values and standards of behaviour and sign an agreement to that effect. Failure to do so may result in the termination of the Fellowship award.

29) Global Innovation Fellowships are expected to commence by September 2025. An earlier start date of March or April 2025 may be possible, in this case the applicant will need to explain how they will plan and manage their relocation on this faster timeline.

30) This call is expected to be able to support 1-2 awards.

31) Awards are expected to run for 1 year.

32) The cost of relocation, visas and any associated costs for the applicant and their dependants are eligible under this programme.

33) The Global Innovation Fellowships are intended to be flexible awards. The following guidelines will normally apply. However, in exceptional circumstances, additional flexibility may be available. Please contact [email protected] for further information.

a) Career background and history – The Academy is aware that individuals will have had different opportunities to balance their research with other commitments during their career or may come from diverse or non-traditional career backgrounds. For example, having taken extended leave including parental or medical leave, or having returned to research following time in other roles or having had periods of significant teaching or administrative workload that may have impacted on the applicant’s research. There is a question in the application form (the personal statement) that will enable applicants to provide further information so that the Academy can take this into account when assessing applicants’ track record.

b) Reasonable adjustments – Applications from researchers with disabilities are welcome and encouraged. The Academy will provide adjustments to ensure they can participate fully in the selection process. If an adjustment is required when accessing the application form or for any other part of the application process then please contact [email protected]. In addition, costs that are required for the researcher to undertake their award will be considered eligible regardless to what is set out in paragraph 40 below. The Academy welcomes any questions applicants may have on this matter. The costs of reasonable adjustments required to support researchers with disabilities will also be an eligible cost throughout the duration of the award.

c) Maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, adoptive or extended sick leave - There is provision for maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, adoptive or extended sick leave for the award holder as defined in the UK host organisation’s standard organisational policy. An extension will be added to account for any time lost within the original period of the award and an additional amount of time will be added on top for up to 6 months.

d) Childcare arrangements - Support for the cost of childcare support when undertaking award activity, such as travel for conferences, will be considered as part of the allowable research expenses during the award for the award-holder through the grant. This includes instances where the award holder or staff wish to support their child(ren) themselves, such as travelling with them whilst undertaking their research.

e) Relocation and visa arrangements - The Academy will cover relocation costs for the award-holder during the award, as well as their dependents. The cost of a visa and any associated costs for the applicant and their dependants are eligible under this programme.

f) Portability of awards – If the award holder moves UK host organisation before the start or during the award, the award will be moved to the new UK host organisation provided that the new host is an eligible UK-based host organisation.

34) The award will have a maximum award value of £150,000 on an 80% Full Economic Costing (FEC) basis.

35) 80% FEC is understood in the following manner:

36) The grant awarded is expected to be used solely for the purposes specified in the application and agreed in the award-letter.

37) The award is intended to be made on a full-time basis.

38) The Academy recognises that the upper limit on the contribution that the Academy’s funding can make to this award – £150,000 – might not be sufficient to cover all of the costs up to 80% of the Full Economic Cost value required. In those cases, an employing institution will be expected to make additional contributions to the overhead costs involved.

39) Funding will be provided on the Full Economic Costing (FEC) basis primarily to cover the salary of the Applicant. The Innovation Fellow will be expected to spend their time in the DGAP’s office and/or other mutually agreed sites.

40) The Academy will provide 80% of the FEC of the Fellowship. The Academy requests that the 80% FEC cost figure is entered into the application form (not the 100% FEC figure). The maximum value of the award made by the Academy is £150,000, meaning that the total cost of the Fellowship at 100% FEC may be up to £187,500. This includes all direct and indirect costs incurred by the employing institution, including space, central support services, and other necessary costs incurred by the employing institution on behalf of the Fellow.

41) Eligible costs will be funded under the following headings:

• Directly incurred salary costs. The award can be used to support the employing institution’s salary costs of the Applicant for the duration of the award
• Estates and indirect costs. The award can include the employing institution’s estate and indirect costs incurred as a result of direct staff costs.
• Relocation and visa costs. The Academy will pay for reasonable relocation costs including one return travel to Berlin before the commencement of work at DGAP, travel to commence the fellowship in Berlin and travel to return to the UK at the end of the fellowship. Any required visa costs will also be covered by the award.
• Accommodation and top-up contribution. The Academy will pay up to £2,000 per month for accommodation in Berlin and a top-up contribution of up to £500 per month for the award holder.

42) The following items are not eligible for funding (applicants registered with special needs may consult the Academy about possible exceptions prior to application):

• Directly allocated salary costs. No directly allocated costs can be attributed to this award.
• purchasing of assets
• equipment costs
• 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
• carbon offsetting
• open access fees

43) The deadline for applications to be submitted to this call is 25 September 2024 at 17.00 (UK Time). This includes the employing institution approver approving the completed application by the submission deadline. Any applications submitted after that deadline will be ineligible.

44) The final awards panel will meet after the call for applications are closed. When the Panel meets it will include an interview element as part of its assessment. Applicants are required to be available to attend these interviews as a mandatory part of the assessment process.

45) Award holders are required to complete three reports:

• An interim report at the midpoint of the Fellowship reporting on progress and lessons learnt to date.
• A final report from award holders within three months of the award’s end, detailing the progress of the activities in which they participated.
• A post-award report three years after the award’s end showing the impact of the award on their subsequent career.

46) Applicants are required to obtain a statement of support from their Head of Department as part of this application.

47) The Head of Department should be the person who heads the Department, Faculty, Institute or other unit of an Independent Research Organisation (IRO) in which you are currently working. As Head of Department, they will be expected to comment their level of support for the application and on the career development benefit to be gained by the Applicant if the award is made. They will be expected to also confirm that the Applicant will be released from duties at the employing institution for the duration of the award and be able to return to the employing institution once the award ends.

48) Please note that the Head of Department statement must be received before you can formally submit the application for approval, and you are strongly advised to ensure that your Head of Department submits the statement well in advance of the formal applicant deadline for this round of competition as noted above.

49) If the Applicant is also Head of Department, the statement must be provided by another suitable individual, e.g. Deputy Head or Head of School.

50) Heads of Department must be invited to contribute to your application via the Flexi-Grant system. Please see further guidance below:

• They can be invited through the "Contributors" tab displayed on the application form summary page. Once they have been invited, they will receive an email notification with instructions on how to contribute.
• You can monitor the progress of your contributor’s activity through this section of the application form, and issue reminders as required. Once the recipient has accepted your invitation, their status will be displayed as "active". Upon completion of their section of the application form, their status will be displayed as "complete".
• Once the contributor has completed all their sections of the application form, please remind them to select "Save & Submit" on the application form page or select "Submit your contribution" on the summary page.
• You will not be able to submit your application form until the status of all contributors shows as ‘complete’ in the ‘Contributors’ tab.

51) Please also note that an application cannot be submitted until all required contributors have submitted their contribution first. We recommend that supporting contributors fulfil their requirements at least five working days before the submission deadline to ensure there is sufficient time for organisational approval.

52) The employing institution approver must approve the completed application by the submission deadline.

53) All eligible proposals submitted in response to this call will be assessed by relevant peer reviewers and then considered by a final selection panel, which will conduct interviews with a shortlist of applicants.

54) Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

• The research expertise of the applicant in their chosen area of interest from paragraphs 17-20;
• The experience and interest of the applicant in engaging closely with policy counterparts;
• The anticipated benefit and impact on the policymaking process in the chosen area of interest and the applicant’s future policy engagement ambitions;
• The ability of the applicant to engage orally in their chosen research area of expertise, and particularly to be able to provide policy relevant, clear and succinct oral briefings (will be assessed at interview if applicants are invited to interview);
• Value for money.

55) All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the application in January 2025.

56) The approving organisation will be asked to give its consent before the award is confirmed.

57) All applicants must register in the British Academy’s online Flexi-Grant system to enable the processing and assessment of their application. All applications must be submitted in English.

58) All applications will be subject to an eligibility check undertaken by appropriate British Academy staff before being put forward for assessment, and applications that are not completed correctly and on time will not be considered.

59) The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is 25 September at 17.00 (UK time). Applicants will not be allowed to make any changes to their applications or submit any additional information after the 25 September deadline.

60) The Academy has a Code of Practice for assessing research applications, setting out the principles of equity, integrity and confidentiality governing the treatment of all applications for research support. The Code of Practice also covers Data Protection, the Academy’s ethics policy and the appeals procedure. The Code of Practice may be viewed on the Academy’s website.

61) Feedback is not a feature of the Innovation Fellowships scheme and the Academy is, regretfully, unable to enter correspondence regarding the decisions of the awarding Committee, which are governed by the Code of Practice. Please note that by applying in this scheme, applicants undertake to accept the terms under which applications are assessed.

62) Please contact [email protected] for further information.

Applications can only be submitted online using the British Academy Flexi-Grant® Grant Management System (GMS). If you have not previously used the British Academy’s Flexi-Grant® GMS and were not registered in the previous e-GAP system, please follow the registration process from the Flexi-Grant® homepage. Applications cannot be submitted on paper or in any other format.

Before completing the online form, all applicants should check that they comply with the eligibility requirements and ensure all necessary information is presented in the application. These requirements are strictly adhered to, and applications without all the necessary information, or evidence to show the assessment criteria are met, will be rejected.

Registered approving organisations will be available in the search bar. If your organisation is not listed and is not affiliated with any organisations already in the system, then please contact us at [email protected] to request the addition of the organisation.

The deadline for submissions and UK host organisation approval is 25 September 2024 (17:00 GMT). Applicants will not be allowed to make any changes to their applications or submit any additional information after the 25 September deadline.

When completing your application on the British Academy Flexi-Grant® GMS, it is recommended that you take particular note of the following points:

• Personal details: When registered in the British Academy Flexi-Grant® GMS, a user has the option to add or update personal information such as contact details, log-in details (including email address and password), interests, research and employment details, at any time. This represents a personal record of your account in the system and will help to populate the contact details in any application form you complete. It is useful if this information is kept up to date, but it is not essential to the progress of an application.
• Automatic log-out: You are strongly advised to save your work regularly to prevent accidental loss of information. In particular, you should be aware that if the system does not detect any activity for 1 hour it will log out and save the application at that time. Please note that moving between pages within an application form will save the page that you are exiting but completing a field on a page is not considered an activity. It is recommended that you write the text for longer sections/fields in a word processor such as Word and then copy and paste into the relevant text box to avoid being timed out in this way.
• Multiple sessions: You should not have multiple browser windows/tabs of your application open at the same time as this may cause the information to be lost. Only one user should edit an application at a time, otherwise, changes might be lost.
• Word limits: When completing boxes that have a restricted length (note that it refers to words) you should note that if you exceed the specified amount you will not be able to save when you press the save button. You should type the text for the longer-length boxes in a word processor. You will then be able to check the word count and paste it into the British Academy Flexi-Grant® system. You will then still have a copy of the text to return to in the word processor. The word limit applies to text boxes.
• Plain text: If entering plain text, please avoid using symbols as some may not be accepted by the British Academy Flexi-Grant® system. You should generate and view a PDF of your application to check that the application appears as you want it to by clicking on "print application".
• Email addresses: The British Academy Flexi-Grant® GMS relies heavily on automatic email contact. It is essential that you ensure you enter accurate email addresses where requested as it may cause considerable delay in the submission/processing of your application if any of these are incorrect. You cannot make changes to email addresses after your application has been submitted for approval.
• Submission of application: You will not be able to submit your application until you have completed each section in full. You should submit your application for approval by a designated approver at your host organisation at least five working days before the closing date to allow for your host organisation’s administrative procedures. Please note that an institutional approver is a person within the UK host organisation, usually within the central research support office, who has authority for approving all applications submitted to the British Academy. Please be aware that any co-applicants or other contributors will need to mark their sections as ‘complete’ before you will be able to submit your completed application form.
  • Once you have submitted your application for approval by your host UK organisation, automatic emails will be sent to your host UK organisation approver asking them to log on to the system. You will not be able to edit your application after it has been submitted to your host UK organisation for approval. The host UK organisation approver will either: approve and submit your application, "send back" your application and contact you to request modifications (if before the 25 September deadline) or decline your application and contact you.
  • Please be aware that it is your responsibility to ensure that you complete your application in time for your host UK organisation to process it (including requesting changes) and provide their approval by the closing date. It is recommended that you allow at least five working days for this process, but please check with your proposed host UK institution as their internal timetables may require earlier submission.
  • If your host UK organisation approver requests modifications through the British Academy GMS email facility, they can unlock your application, allowing you to edit it. They can do this by selecting "Return to Applicant". An automatic email will be sent to you alerting you of this fact. Once you have completed and saved the requested changes, please re-submit your application for approval by your host UK organisation.
  • Once your host UK organisation has approved your application and submitted it to the British Academy, it will not be possible to make any changes.
• Application sharing: All applications must be started by the applicant who is to be the Principal Investigator (PI) on the award. You can invite other contributors to join the application (e.g. Co-Applicant, Finance Office contact etc.), but in order to do so your contributor will need to be registered in the British Academy’s Flexi-Grant® system first. You will need to ensure you have their registered email address to invite them to participate in your application. You can let other British Academy Flexi-Grant® GMS users view your draft application in advance of submission by providing their email address. They will be able to log in using their existing password and see your application and, depending on permissions, amend your application.
• Application deletion: You can delete your application at any time although it is often a lot easier to just re-edit your existing application. We will be able to recover a deleted application for a period of seven days after deletion. After this, it will be permanently removed from the system.
• Application returned for editing: The organisation approver can return your application to you for further editing before the closing deadline of the call. See "Submission of Application" above.
• Guidance: In the tables below you will find in the left-hand column each question as set out in the application form and in the right-hand column useful guidance on its completion.
• Further clarification: If any of this advice is unclear, or you need further information, please do not hesitate to seek clarification from the British Academy’s International Team (contact details at the end of these notes).

Please note that it is essential that you create a pdf of your completed application (by clicking "print application"), and check it thoroughly, including email addresses and uploaded pdf files, before submitting it for approval by your UK host organisation. It may not be possible to rectify mistakes in time for the deadline.

Word limits apply to plain text only. Page limits apply to pdfs only.

All fields marked with an asterisk* are mandatory.

You should not have multiple browser windows/tabs of your application open at the same time as this may cause information to be lost. Only one user should edit an application at a time, otherwise changes might be lost.

The application can be completed by using the navigation tabs on the application summary page, with each page categorised as follows:

Page 1: Partner Organisation and Scope of Fellowship

Page 2: Research Proposal

Page 3: Applicant Details

Page 4: Head of Department Statement

Page 5: Financial Details

Page 6: Equal Opportunities

A full list of question fields to be completed as part of the application can be found in the following table. Each box in the table represents a page cof the application form: the left-hand column contains the questions within each of these pages as set out in the form; the righthand column contains useful guidance on its completion. A red asterisk (*) indicates which questions are mandatory and therefore must be complete before the application can be submitted.

Please read the scheme guidance notes carefully before completing the form.

Summary

Summary table

When your application form is complete, all sections on this summary table will be marked as "Complete". The "Complete" status will only appear when all the mandatory fields in that section have been completed. All mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk "*". Only once all mandatory fields are marked as "Complete", and all Contributors are all marked as "Complete" will a "Submit" button appear for you to be able to submit your application.

Scope of the Fellowships

Please choose which of the five areas set out in paragraphs 16-20 in the scheme notes you are applying to be considered under. The five areas are:

• Technology and International Affairs.
• Global Order and Disorder.
• Eastern and South-eastern Europe.
• Sustainability, Nature & Climate.

Start Date/End Date*

To select a date in the future using the calendar feature, click on the month and year in between the two arrows at the top of the box. To change the year keep clicking on the box – a second click will produce a decade. Use the arrows to move back or forward in time. To change the month, a second box will appear where you can select the month you wish and then you can type the year you require in the box provided. Click on the date and the calendar will take you to the month and year you have selected where you can select the relevant date for display.

Global Innovation Fellowships are expected to commence by September 2025. An earlier start date of March or April 2025 may be possible, in this case the applicant will need to explain how they will plan and manage their relocation on this faster timeline. 

Research Expertise in Chosen Area of Interest*

Please explain your research expertise in one of the five areas of interest (see paragraphs 16-20). It is necessary to select only one area of interest and detail your expertise to date in this area. The limit for this field is 2,000 words.

Policy Engagement*

Please explain your expertise, experience and interest in engaging closely with policy counterparts, and particularly the value you can bring to working with counterparts at the DGAP. The limit for this field is 1000 words.

Benefit and Impact*

Please explain what anticipated benefit and impact is envisaged that can be brought to bear on the partner organisation’s policymaking process, and the applicant’s future policy engagement ambitions.

The limit for this field is 1000 words.

Gender Equality Statement*

Research and innovation (R&I) activities funded by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), provided through Partner Organisations, complies with the requirements of the DSIT R&I Gender Equality Policy, which states that activities must tackle instances of underrepresentation, differential needs and systemic disadvantage to improve the relevance of R&I findings, that support the inclusion, reduce the impact of bias and ultimately, contribute to reducing inequalities among genders. This includes but is not limited to Overseas Development Assistance activities, in line with the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014.

All applicants are strongly recommended to thoroughly review the above publication and this additional guidance before designing and drafting their application.

The limit for this field is 500 words.

Research Security*

International research collaborations are fundamental to the equity, quality, diversity and impact of UK-based researchers and institutions. Most international collaborations will benefit all those involved and the expected usual status for this question is likely to be a null response, however, there will be cases where there are risks.

Research funded through this programme needs to take account of security-related considerations. UKRI, Universities UK and the National Protective Security Authority amongst others have published relevant guidance in this area. It is important to ensure that the research funded through this programme has undertaken relevant assurance related to reputational, data, financial, ethical and security risks.

Please use this field to detail any research security risks that the application may encounter and how these will be mitigated. It should be noted that such risks could include the potential dual application of the research, the management of information, data and other knowledge sharing, and activities that could utilise the research to target people in other countries such as through internal surveillance and repression. A set of questions suggested by the NPSA to consider in relation to this issue is as follows:

• Are there any potential ethical or moral concerns for the application of the research? If so, what are they?
• Could the research be used to support activities in other countries with ethical standards different from the UK, such as internal surveillance and repression? If so, how might this be possible and how is it proposed this risk is mitigated?
• Could the research be of benefit to a hostile state military or be supplied to other state actors? If so, how might it be of such benefit and how is it proposed this risk is mitigated?
• Are there any dual-use (both military and non-military) applications to the research? If so, what are they?
• Do you need to protect sensitive data or personally identifiable information? This may include genetic or medical information, population datasets, details of individuals or commercial test data. If so, how will you do so?
• Is your research likely to have a future commercial or patentable outcome which you or your organisation would want to benefit from? If so, what is this outcome?
• Is any of the research likely to be subject to UK or other countries' export licence controls? If so, what aspects of the research will be subject to such controls?

As highlighted by UUK in its above guidance it is important to be aware that failure to comply with export control legislation is a criminal offence and the terms ‘technology’ and ‘information’ have much broader definitions in legislation than might ordinarily or commonly be understood. To maximise compliance with export control legislation, individuals should:

• consider potential end-use possibilities of technology: it is the duty of researchers and their institutions to monitor potential end-uses of research, throughout the research life cycle. In some cases, research will have end use applications that are unidentifiable in the early stages of development and continued monitoring is required
• inform researchers about the implications of intangible technology transfer: researchers must be aware that controlled sensitive information transmitted electronically (e.g. via social media, fax and email, videoconferencing, sharing screens remotely) and verbally (e.g. in telephone and face-to-face discussions) may still be subject to export controls.

There is also the Research Collaboration Advice Team, which is a collaboration between the UK Government and academia that can provide advice to institutions on national security risks to international research.

Applicants should be aware that government guidance and UK legislation may change, and they will need to take account of any such changes that may affect their proposed research.

The limit for this field is 750 words.

Deposit of Datasets

Digital resources created as a result of research funded by the Academy should be deposited in an appropriately accessible repository. Of course, we do not expect confidential data to be made readily available.

If applicable to your project, you will need to provide details of how and where any electronic or digital data (including datasets) developed during the project will be stored, along with details on the appropriate methods of access. In developing any such accessible datasets you will need to be aware of the FCDO’s requirements around the Official Secrets Act and publications.

Applicants should ensure that any necessary technical advice is obtained before commencing work that involves the creation of digital resources. Please confirm whether the primary product of the research will be a digital resource, and if so how and where it will be deposited.

The limit for this field is 500 words.

Ethical Issues*

This field is mandatory and must be addressed by all applicants.

Are there any special ethical issues arising from your proposal that are not covered by the relevant professional Code of Practice? Have you obtained, or will you obtain, ethical approval from your employing institution or other relevant authority?

It is not expected that any special ethical issues will arise that are not already covered by relevant professional Codes of Practice. The normal expectation, therefore, will be that applicants should answer the pair of questions with the answers no and no.

If there are any special issues arising, but they have already been cleared by approval from a relevant authority, please answer yes and yes.

If any special issues arise and approval has not yet been obtained, please answer yes and no, and provide more explanation.

Source of Funding

Please provide details of other support given or applied for in connection with the current proposal.

Please indicate whether any other grant applications relating to this project have been submitted, either to the British Academy or to any other funder. Applications submitted to the Academy by separate applicants will not be accepted if it is considered that both (or all, if more than two) applications relate to the same project, whose components would not be viable as independent pieces of research.

Applicants are requested to keep the Academy informed of the outcomes of any other applications by email to [email protected]. Failure to do so may jeopardise the application’s prospects of success. In cases where simultaneous applications to the Academy and to another funding agency covering the same elements of a project are both successful, the applicant will be asked to choose which award to accept.

Only if there is no duplication and no unnecessary inflation of a project will an applicant be permitted to retain both awards (subsequent requests to alter the plan of research simply to allow the applicant to retain both awards are unlikely to be considered favourably).

Applicant Contact Details*

Please take care to review and complete your personal details accurately. Errors in this section can cause difficulties in the processing of your application.

You can update your personal details by checking "my account" and selecting the link to "my contact details" and "my organisation" and ensuring the relevant details are up to date.

Nationality*

Please state your nationality. You must select one but you may select up to three if applicable.

Present Appointment, Employing Institution and Department*

Please give details of your current appointment.

All applications require one Applicant. Eligible Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom with a current long-term appointment that will continue for at least as long as the period of the award at a UK-based institution (e.g. a Higher Education Institution [HEI] or Independent Research Organisation [IRO]). If your employing institution is not currently registered on the Academy’s grant management system, Flexi-Grant, please contact us via [email protected] to discuss possible registration. Applications are welcome from early career researchers and mid-career researchers. Please note that applications from independent researchers cannot be accepted in this round of the scheme.

Employment Status*

Please confirm that you will be employed for the duration of your proposed project.

Permanent Position*

Please indicate whether this position is permanent or not.

Position Start Date*/End Date

Please state the start date of your position and, if applicable, the end date.

PhD Confirmation*

Applicants working towards a PhD or awaiting the outcome of their viva/submission of corrections are not eligible to apply. Please therefore confirm that you have a PhD by answering yes. If you are an established scholar with relevant equivalent experience, but no doctorate, please select 'no' and indicate in the "personal statement" field why you should be eligible for consideration.

PhD Awarded Date

Please enter the date of the viva voce examination in this field.

Personal Statement

Applicants are invited to include any information relating to their professional career which they may wish to be taken into account in assessing this application. For example, details of a career break, or the effect of working on a part-time contract may be relevant. This is an optional field.

Key Career Appointments and Posts*

Please provide a list of your key appointments and posts.

Key Career Publications, Grants, and other Career Highlights*

Please provide a list of key relevant publications, grants, and highlights, that you think most appropriate for an award under this scheme

Previous Support Dates*

An application will not be eligible for consideration if there is a report outstanding on any previous research grant awarded by the Academy to the applicant or any Co-applicant. Failure to follow this guidance will result in your application being withdrawn from this round of competition.

Please give details of any research applications submitted to the British Academy within the last five years. In the case of a further application for continuing research which has received previous Academy support, please note that a full report and statement of expenditure for the previous grant must be submitted before further funding can be considered.

Where did you hear about this scheme?

This field is optional. It helps the British Academy to target appropriate resources towards the promotion of the scheme to know where an applicant hears about it. Please select an appropriate option from the drop-down list.

Head of Department Statement of Support*

Applicants are required to include a supporting statement from their Head of Department on the British Academy Flexi-Grant® GMS well in advance of the deadline for the submission of your application.

Please enter all the details of your Head of Department by clicking "Contributors" tab on the Application’s "Summary" page. Please click on the "Invite" button, enter the Head of Department’s email address and then click "Send Invitation".

The Head of Department should be the person who heads the Department, Faculty, Institute or other unit in an Independent Research Organisation (IRO) which you are currently working. As Head of Department, they will be expected to comment their level of support for the application and on the career development benefit to be gained by the Applicant if the award is made. They will be expected to also confirm that the Applicant will be released from duties at the employing institution for the duration of the award and be able to return to the employing institution once the award ends.

We strongly advise that you alert your Head of Department as early as possible to allow them enough time to provide their statement in the system. Note that the deadline shown to the Head of Department is the deadline for the whole application to be submitted. The application needs to be approved before the same deadline, and it cannot be submitted for approval before the HOD statement is submitted.

An application cannot be considered for an award unless all contributions have been submitted on time.

Please note that statements must be provided through the British Academy Flexi-Grant® GMS, they cannot be provided as an email attachment nor sent by post in hard copy. Any statements received after the deadline, or outside of the system will not be accepted, and your application will be withdrawn from this competition.

Financial Details / Justification*

If you include ineligible costs, your application will be withdrawn from this competition.

Please provide details of funding in the relevant fields:

• Directly Incurred Salary Costs;
• Estates and Indirect Costs
• Relocation and Visa Costs
• Accommodation and Top-Up Contribution

Funding will be provided on the Full Economic Costing (FEC) basis primarily to cover the salary of the Applicant. The Innovation Fellow will be expected to spend their time in the DGAP’s office and/or other mutually agreed sites.

The Academy will provide 80% of the FEC of the Fellowship. The Academy requests that the 80% FEC cost figure is entered into the application form (not the 100% FEC figure). The maximum value of the award made by the Academy is £150,000, meaning that the total cost of the Fellowship at 100% FEC may be up to £187,500. This includes all direct and indirect costs incurred by the employing institution, including space, central support services, and other necessary costs incurred by the employing institution on behalf of the Fellow.

Please be aware that if the Fellowship is offered, then there can be no viring of funds between each of these budget headings, and no spending can take place outside the time-frame of the Fellowship.

Applicants should prepare accurate costings for the proposed project costs and should be particularly careful not to overestimate the resources required. Applicants are advised that competition for funds can be fierce, and proposals on the margin for award may have a greater chance of success if they are modestly costed.

Costs should be clearly itemised and justified in terms of the research programme. If the Academy is being asked to support only a proportion of the total costs, please explain this clearly under proposed programme on the proposal tab.

Please note that grants are cash-limited, and there is no scope for supplementation of an award. Projects should be fully costed from the outset.

Please do not use ‘£’ signs in the amount boxes.

Justification*

Please refer to the scheme guidance notes for full details of eligible costs.

Please provide details of funding related to the relevant fields set out in the financial details table above.

Applicants should prepare accurate costings for the proposed research expenses, and should be particularly careful not to overestimate the resources required. Costs should be clearly itemised and justified in terms of the research programme for this application.

Equal Opportunities

This section is optional; however, the Academy would greatly appreciate it if you can complete the details to assist us in our diversity monitoring.

The British Academy is committed to its policy of Equal Opportunity in the provision of its grants and awards. Please help us to monitor the effectiveness of this policy by providing information concerning your age, gender, ethnic origin and disabilities (if any).

This information will be kept separately from the rest of your application and will not be seen by those involved in making decisions in the selection process, including referees etc.