Innovation Fellowships Scheme 2025 – Route B: Policy-Led (FCDO)

More about the programme

The British Academy has been funded by the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) to support the Innovation Fellowships. The Academy is also working on this scheme in partnership with other partners, including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), as per this call.

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 business in the creative, cultural, public, private and policy sectors, to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions. 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.

The Innovation Fellowships scheme has two routes: Route A: Researcher-led and Route B: Policy-led. This call is for Route B with the Academy, working with the FCDO.

Please note the final fellowship would be hosted by the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office.

Aims

The FCDO has specialised research requirements, operating in a context where timely access to high-quality evidence-based analysis can mean the difference between success and failure. Exerting influence, negotiating and leveraging others’ power at precisely the right moment is at a premium. This can make it difficult for researchers operating outside the FCDO to have a significant impact. These Fellowships will provide an opportunity to change that by enabling close interaction with FCDO policymakers directly in the heart of this government department’s work.

The Academy and the FCDO invite applications for Fellowships in any of the following areas:

1. Western Balkans
2. Serious Organised Crime and Migration
3. Humanitarian Crises
4. UK National Security Strategy

Scheme opens date: 14 July 2025

Application Deadline: 1 October 2025, 17:00 (BST)

Value and duration

Awards are expected to commence no earlier than 1 January 2026 and no later than 31 March 2026. The start date of the fellowship award will depend on the successful completion of the security check and signature of the agreement. Applicants are expected to provide information requested by FCDO in a timely manner to enable the fellowship to begin promptly.

Awards are for a period of 12 months.

The Academy is able to offer awards of up to £120,000 for 12 months in duration (with Full Economic Costing at 80 per cent).

Application process

Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy's Grant Management System (GMS), Flexi-Grant®.

The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is 1 October 2025, 17:00 (BST).

Scheme guidance

For more details about the programme and information on how to apply, please see the scheme guidance notes.