Innovation Fellowships Scheme – Route A: Researcher-led

Scheme overview

The British Academy has been funded by the UK Government, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT; formerly known as BEIS) to continue its support of the Innovation Fellowships scheme. The Innovation Fellowships scheme is a dual-route scheme designed to enable researchers in the humanities and social sciences to partner with organisations and businesses in the creative and cultural, public, private, commercial, or policy sectors that have a base in the UK, to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions that are relevant to the UK. Both routes require an established researcher to work with a UK-based partner organisation on a specified policy or societal challenge that contributes to the aims of the scheme for a period of up to one year.

The Innovation Fellowships scheme has two routes:

Route A: Researcher-led

The British Academy is inviting applications for funding for researcher-led Innovation Fellowships (Route A), through which applicants must apply with a partner organisation which they have identified. To learn more about Route A and apply, stay on this webpage.

The Innovation Fellowships scheme will provide funding and support for established early-career and mid-career researchers in the Humanities and Social Sciences to partner with organisations and businesses in the creative and cultural, public, private, commercial, or policy sectors that have a base in the UK, to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions that are relevant to the UK. Through the Innovation Fellowships, our 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. This includes, but is not limited to:

• developing new approaches for supporting innovation across the economy, regions, and society;
• contributing to and leading on challenges targeted at increasing links with industry and business, broadly defined;
• improving direct connection of researchers with policymakers, leaders and innovators at local and regional levels in the UK.

These Fellowships will forge innovative place-based partnerships to create new intellectual, cultural, community and economic opportunities that will address key societal challenges.

Scheme opens date: 12 July 2023

Application deadline: 11 October 2023 – 17:00 UK time

Starting period of award: no earlier than 1 March 2024 and no later than 31 March 2024

Duration of award: awards can be held for a minimum period of six months and up to a maximum period of 12 months.

Level of award: Route A (Researcher-led) awards are on a Full Economic Costing (FEC) basis. The British Academy will award up to £120,000. The Lead Applicant must commit between 0.4 and 0.8 FTE time to the Fellowship.

Eligibility: Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the UK 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 (HEI or IRO); and be at early or mid-career stage.

Applicants should apply with a named UK-based partner organisation outside the Lead Applicant’s employing institution. A partner organisation includes: business and commercial organisations, charity and public sector organisations, community organisations, policy-relevant organisations, think tanks or voluntary organisations. The application submitted must be collaborative between the researcher and a collaborator within the partner organisation.

Route B: Policy-led

We will be inviting applications for a policy-led Innovation Fellowship (Route B) through which applicants will work with one of our named policy partners. The details of the policy partners for Route B will be released in due course, along with specific funding calls for that route.

Scheme guidance notes and frequently asked questions

Innovation Fellowships Scheme 2023-24 – Route A: Researcher-led

For full information on the Innovation Fellowships Scheme – Route A: Researcher-led, please view our scheme guidance notes and frequently asked questions.