Just Transitions within Sectors and Industries Globally

Funded by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

More about the programme

This programme provides UK and internationally-based researchers at any career stage, and active in the humanities and social sciences, with the opportunity to submit proposals for in-depth studies focused on just transitions in sectors and industries globally.

Aims

Climate change is the existential challenge of our time. Ensuring just transitions whilst tackling climate change and biodiversity loss is key to supporting inclusive economies and societies in the future. Evidence from the social sciences and humanities is critical to supporting a just transition and how we can shape a positive future locally, nationally and globally.

A just transition will seek to ensure to involve all relevant actors and that the benefits of decarbonisation are shared widely but also support those who stand to lose. Helping address the social and economic effects of decarbonisation will be key to achieving just transitions globally, however, greenhouse gas emissions originate both from many sectors and industries, and from differing points within supply and value chains. Achieving just transitions across this landscape will be complex and varied. Further focus on how to achieve this and the critical pinch points globally in key emitting sectors or industries is essential.

This call focuses specifically on action required in sectors and industries globally across supply and value chains and we expect the focus to be on key economic emitters or areas of society that will help reduce and/or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. Projects can and should build on existing or ongoing research, but should ultimately allow us to establish an evidence base that can be used to answer the questions:

• How the notion of just transition is being defined and implemented, in particular by and for whom in these sectors and industries globally, and how this may be being contested?
• What are the challenges and pinch points socially, economically and politically that will need to be met for just transitions to take place at different points in supply and value chains within these sectors and industries globally?
• How can this process be managed equitably, sustainably and in a socially just manner?
• What are the options and pathways for communities, workers, businesses, policymakers and the wider public to manage the potential disruption and deliver the opportunities of a just transition in these sectors and industries?

Eligibility requirements  

The lead applicant must be a researcher from the humanities or social sciences and be based at an eligible UK university or research institute. The lead applicant must be of postdoctoral status or above (or have equivalent research experience) and their position must last at least the duration of the grant funded by the Academy.

Projects can involve up to three Co-Applicants and must include at least one named Co-Applicant who will be actively assisting in the direction and management of at least parts of the project. Collaboration between researchers in different institutions is encouraged where appropriate, and we expect to see Co-Applicants based in both the UK and internationally.

For more details about the programme and the eligibility requirements, please see the scheme notes.

Value and duration 

Awards of five months in duration and up to £100,000 are available.

Funding can be used to support the time of the Principal Investigator and Co-Applicants; research assistance; travel, fieldwork and related expenses; and networking costs. Awards are offered on an 80% full economic costing basis.

Projects must begin on 27 October 2021.

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 on 6 October 2021, 17:00, UK time.