Pandemic Preparedness: Lessons to Learn from COVID-19 across the G7 scheme guidance for applicants

The British Academy is inviting proposals from UK- and G7-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences as we are aiming to support at least 4 studies focusing on lessons learned and lessons to learn from the experience within G7 countries of preparing for, adapting and responding to COVID-19 for future pandemic preparedness.

This call for proposals is supported by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.

We are able to offer awards of up to £100,000 (with Full Economic Costing at 80%). Awards will be made in March 2023 and be for up to 18 months. Awards will be required to engage closely and regularly with the British Academy throughout the award duration and meet clear deliverables and deadlines.

Applications must be submitted by Wednesday 24 February 2023, 17.00 (UK time).

COVID-19 is the most challenging health crisis we have faced for decades. The impacts of the pandemic are changing lives and livelihoods, cultures, communities, societies and economies. Evidence from the social sciences and humanities is critical to ensuring that our preparedness for future pandemics is placed on the strongest possible footing, however, with attention starting to move elsewhere it is essential that the lessons learnt from COVID-19 are not lost. We wish to support research in the humanities and social sciences that will help demonstrate what has been learnt and what needs still to be done in addressing these lessons for future pandemic preparedness across the G7.

We see these studies drawing on experience across G7 countries, but where necessary to enable deeper analysis, focussing specifically on a subset of countries around particular topics/policy areas. We aim for the studies to draw out lessons that have been learned and identify areas where further reflection and analysis is needed in order to ensure future resilience. We would expect that across the G7 there will be differentiated experience(s) and we would expect that lessons across these different contexts can be compared and contrasted through the studies, demonstrating best practice and where there are remaining gaps in how countries across the G7 are prepared for the next pandemic. We would welcome studies that focus at lessons across multiple levels of place, scale and time, including regionally at a G7 level, nationally, locally and at hyper-local/community level.

The aim of this call is to facilitate global and interconnected learning about the experience of responding to COVID-19, the lessons that have been learnt from that experience, the lessons that should have been learnt but are yet to be addressed, and looking ahead to how future pandemic preparedness can be placed on the best possible footing given the state of knowledge in the humanities and social sciences and the experiences and lessons we have learnt from COVID-19.

Studies can and should build on existing or ongoing research, but should ultimately allow us to establish an evidence base which can be used to demonstrate what the experience of COVID-19 tells us about what we need to do to make current and future pandemic preparedness more effective.

Applications must demonstrate a dedicated focus across G7 countries, and where necessary to enable deeper analysis, focusing specifically on a subset of countries around particular topics/policy areas, and engage at a G7 level, nationally and at community levels.

Awards will be required to work closely and regularly with the Academy. These will include regular catch-up meetings with the provision of updates on progress made. The Academy and its partners will work with the awards also to develop an overarching set of recommendations across the studies supported.

The remit of the programme does not include primarily practice-based outputs such as musical composition and performance, visual practice, creative writing and film-making. These areas of research will be considered to fall within the Academy's remit only when they form part of an integrated project of demonstrable critical or historical significance.

Successful projects will be likely to employ a variety of research methods, and to include a collaborative group of researchers across relevant disciplines.

In all cases, it is for the applicants to demonstrate the feasibility of their proposed research methodology.

All proposals must include detailed plans for the appropriate communication and dissemination of their findings. This should include how applicants will engage with policymakers, practitioners and other target audiences. Applicants will be expected to engage with their target audience from the outset and also to show how the research once completed will be disseminated to, and taken up by, policymakers and other stakeholders.

A key focus of the award will be creating the connection to pull high quality research into the policymaking sphere in collaboration with the Academy and its partners.

Research outputs must include short, crisp summaries of the study of around 15-20 pages as well as a longer, more detailed report. In addition, we expect the applications to be able to produce further outputs such as policy briefings and summary presentations.

The UK host organisation is expected to adopt the principles, standards and good practice for public engagement with research set out in the Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research (2010) and subsequent amendments.

Applicants must ensure the proposed research will be carried out to a high ethical standard. They must confirm that any potential ethical issues have been considered and explain how these will be addressed. We require the research we support to be conducted in an ethical manner, including with regard to safeguarding.

The UK host organisation is responsible for ensuring that ethical issues relating to the research project are identified and brought to the attention of the relevant approval or regulatory body.

20. Ethical approval to undertake the research must be granted by the relevant authority before any work requiring approval begins. Wherever necessary, appropriate consent should be obtained from or on behalf of participants or others affected by the research.

21. Applicants will be asked to indicate whether their proposed research raises any special ethical issues, and whether their application has been approved by the host organisation’s Research Ethics Committee or other relevant authority.

22. The UK host organisation should meet the requirements of the Concordat to Support Research Integrity (2019) and subsequent amendments and must have in place formal procedures for governing good research practice and for handling and reporting allegations of fraud or research misconduct.

Researchers funded under this programme may choose to undertake fieldwork in the course of the research project. We expect an assessment of any risks entailed within the research project to be outlined within the proposal (for example, risks associated with the delivery of the research, financial management and oversight/governance).

Research groups will be required to indicate if (and where) they intend to undertake research in the field. Applicants are required to demonstrate that the PI (and the PI’s host organisation) understands the risk management implications and can monitor and manage the risks effectively. This aspect will be explicitly covered in the approval of any application by the appropriate authorities at the PI’s host organisation, to confirm that the duty of care responsibility rests with the host organisation.

Each project will be led by a named Principal Investigator (PI). The PI must be a researcher in a discipline within the social sciences or the humanities. The PI is expected to direct the research and the management of the project and has responsibility for the overall project reporting requirements.

The PI must be of postdoctoral or above status (or have equivalent research experience). The PI must hold an established role in an eligible UK university or research institute. The PI’s position must last at least the duration of the grant funded by the Academy.

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

An individual cannot be the PI on more than one bid under this call.

The PI will be expected to commit time to the project during the course of the award equivalent to at least four hours per week.

Duplicate applications for the same purpose to more than one British Academy funding programme will not be accepted.

Collaboration between researchers in different disciplines and/or institutions where appropriate is encouraged given the nature of this programme, and applications 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. Co-Applicants may be expected to be in a position to take over the leadership of the project in the event that the PI is unable to continue in the role.

We expect to see Co-Applicants based in both the UK and elsewhere in the G7.

No individual may be a Co-Applicant on more than two projects under this call (nor may a PI be additionally a Co-Applicant on more than one other project).

Projects may also include any number of specified ‘Other Participants’, who may, for example, be relevant stakeholders participating in networking or dissemination events, academic or policy advisers, practitioners, industry representatives, etc.

Research assistance is an eligible cost under this programme and it can be supported where a reasonable case is made in line with the type of work that is required to be undertaken.

Applicants are expected to adopt the principles, standards and good practice for the management of research staff set out in the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers (2019) and subsequent amendments. Research staff should be appointed on terms that are no less favourable than those of comparable posts in the host organisation.

Awards will be made in March 2023 and be up to 18 months in duration.

Funding may be used to support:

1. the time of the PI and Co-Applicants
2. research assistance
3. travel, fieldwork and related expenses
4. networking costs
5. 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%

The following items are not eligible for funding:

1. purchasing of assets
2. computer hardware including laptops, electronic notebooks, digital cameras, etc.
3. books and other permanent resources
4. the preparation of camera-ready copy, copy-editing, proof-reading, indexing, nor any other editorial task
5. subventions for direct production costs (printing, binding, distribution, marketing etc.)
6. costs of publication in electronic media
7. travel and maintenance expenses for purposes such as lecture tours or to write up the results of research

All grants will be paid to the employing organisation of the PI, and not to the individual researchers involved. Organisations must be officially recognised by the British Academy prior to the proposal being submitted.

All eligible proposals submitted in response to this call will be assessed by Academy peer reviewers.

1. Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:
2. The expertise of the applicants in the subject area and their experience in conducting studies using similar research methodologies;
3. The feasibility of the proposal in terms of appropriate and robust methodology;
4. The demonstrated commitment and ability to meet the deliverables and deadlines outlined above;
5. The demonstrated ability to include a comparative perspective across all of the G7 and the strength of the proposed research partnership;
6. Value for money.

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.

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.

The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is 24 February 2023 at 17.00 (UK time). Applicants will not be allowed to make any changes to

their applications or submit any additional information after the 24 February deadline.

The British Academy has a Code of Practice for assessing 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.

Feedback is not a feature of this programme and the Academy is, regretfully, unable to enter into correspondence regarding the decisions of the awarding committee, which are governed by the Code of Practice. Please note that by applying to this programme, applicants undertake to accept the terms under which applications are assessed.

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 24 February 2023 (17:00 GMT). Applicants will not be allowed to make any changes to their applications or submit any additional information after the 22 February 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 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’.
• Uploading PDF documents: Please note the only item you may upload is a copy of a CV. When uploading PDF documents, please add your name and a heading at the top of every page to show what the document is. Please avoid uploading documents containing illustrations with fine details or colour as this can cause problems when creating a PDF of the application. Please note we will only print your applications in black and white. Each PDF cannot exceed 2 pages in length or 3 Mb in size.
• 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 5 working days before the closing date to allow for your host organisation’s administrative procedures. Please note that the 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 22 February 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 organisation 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 e-mail 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 7 days after deletion. After this, it will be permanently removed from the system.
• Application returned for editing: The 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.

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

Page 1: Research Proposal

Page 2: Financial Details

Page 3: Primary Applicant Details

Pages 4-6: Co-Applicant Details

Page 7: 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 of the application form: the left-hand column contains the questions within each of these pages as set out in the form; the right-hand 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 guidance notes carefully before completing the form.

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.

Title of Research Proposal*

Please state the title of your research project.

Abstract*

Please provide a short abstract summarising your proposed research in terms suitable for an informed general audience, not one specialised in your field. This is a mandatory field and the limit is 150 words.

Proposed Programme and Plan of Action*

This field should be used to describe the proposed research, including objectives, methodology and hypotheses, and the country/countries to which it is relevant. Please include plans for publication and dissemination, and explain briefly the project's intended audience. Please set out explicitly the ways in which the proposed research links to the core aims and objective of the overall programme.

Please set out the proposed plan of action covering activity to be undertaken during the course of the award. This should be as detailed as is practicable, but suitable allowance may be made for variation in the event of an award being offered.

The limit on this field is 2,500 words.

Planned Research Outputs, Dissemination and Outreach*

Please indicate here what the expected output(s) from your research programme might be. As appropriate, please indicate as follows: monograph, journal article(s), book chapter(s), digital resources, other (please specify).

Research outputs must include short, crisp summaries of the study of around 15-20 pages as well as a longer, more detailed report. In addition, we expect the applications to be able to produce further outputs such as policy briefings, summary presentations and community-focused material.

All proposals must also include detailed plans for the appropriate communication and dissemination of their findings. This should include how applicants will engage with policymakers, practitioners and other target audiences. Applicants will be expected to engage with their target audience from the outset and also to show how the research once completed will be disseminated to, and taken up by, policymakers and other stakeholders.

The word limit here is 1,000 words.

Deposit of Datasets*

Please 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. It is a condition of award that all data be freely accessible during, and beyond, the lifetime of the project. If it is anticipated that no electronic data of any sort will emanate from the award in question, then please state this in the field along with any justification for this.

The word limit for this section is 500 words.

Other Participants

Under ‘Other Participants’ please give the names, appointments, and institutional affiliation of any other participants in the proposed research. Please also describe the contribution to the project to be made by other participants, citing any particular specialisms and expertise, under ‘role of other participants’.

If detail of Other Participants are not yet known, please use the 'Other relevant information’ text box below to provide indicative numbers and/or types of people who may be involved in the project.

Added Value of Collaboration*

Under ‘Added value of collaboration’, please provide comments on the particular relevance, timeliness or other aspects of the collaboration, and the benefits envisaged.

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 an explanation.

If the answers are yes to special ethical issues and no to having obtained prior approval, please describe in the available space the non-standard ethical issues arising from your research and how you will address them. Applicants must ensure the proposed research will be carried out to a high ethical standard and must ensure that any potential ethical issues have been considered and explain how these will be addressed. The British Academy requires the research it funds to be conducted in an ethical manner. The host organisation is responsible for ensuring that ethical issues relating to the research project are identified and brought to the attention of the relevant approval or regulatory body. Ethical approval to undertake the research must be granted by the relevant authority before any work requiring approval begins. Wherever necessary, appropriate consent should be obtained from or on behalf of participants or others affected by the research.

Safeguarding*

Please use this section to outline any safeguarding and/or child protection issues which may occur in relation to or as a result of your project. If you do not anticipate any safeguarding issues, please write 'NIL RETURN'.

Risk Management*

Researchers funded under this programme may choose to undertake fieldwork in the course of the research project. We expect an assessment of any risks entailed within the research project to be outlined within the proposal. For example, risks associated with delivery of the research, financial management, and oversight/governance.

Research groups will be required to indicate if (and where) they intend to undertake research in the field. Applicants are required to demonstrate that the PI (and the PI’s host organisation) understands the risk management implications and can monitor and manage the risks effectively. This aspect will be explicitly covered in the approval of any application by the appropriate authorities at the PI’s host organisation, to confirm that the duty of care responsibility rests with the host organisation.

The limit on this field is 750 words.

Please use this space to provide details of any other relevant information.

Financial Details/Justification*

Please refer to pages 6-7 above for a full list of eligible costs.

Eligible purposes for the funding include the time of the PI, and any Co-Applicants involved in directing the project (the minimum commitment of a PI is expected to be equivalent to 4 hours per week across the period of the award); research assistance; travel and related expenses; networking costs; and a contribution to university costs in hosting and supporting the research team. Award-holders based in the UK will be expected to base the division of spend on the Full Economic Costing basis at 80%.

Please use the table to indicate the figures for such costs (in GBP) between the various headings.

• Travel, Fieldwork and Networking Costs: please include all costs associated with travel, whether by the PI, Co-Applicants or other participants.
• Other Costs: please include in this section any other eligible costs, including consumables.
• Staff (Directly Allocated): please include all costs related to payment for the time of the PI and any Co-Is.
• Other Directly Allocated Costs: please include any other related costs; for example, for UK-based applicants, and university estates costs.
• Indirect Costs: Please include here any indirect costs such as central administrative costs or other university services.
• Research/Clerical Assistance: please include all costs of research or clerical assistance.

Consumables include the purchase of specialist software (not readily available in the UK host organisation), datasets, photocopies, microfilms, etc., and any other minor items that will be used up during the course of the project. Applicants may apply for short-term consultancy or salary costs for expert staff, or short periods of research assistance.

The following items are not eligible for funding (applicants registered with special needs may consult the Academy about possible exceptions): purchase of assets; 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.

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.

If a claim for childcare is included, please supply sufficient justification for the case to be assessed.

Please note that awards 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.

Value Sought*

Please state the total amount of funding requested. Please ensure that this matches the total set out in the budget table.

Previous British Academy Applications*

Please use this space to provide details of any applications (successful or unsuccessful) that you have made to any British Academy funding calls.

Previous ODA-Eligible Applications*

Please use this space to provide details of any GCRF, Newton Fund, or other ODA-funded activities with which you have been involved in the past (whether related to the British Academy or to another funding body). This may include, but is not limited to: GCRF or Newton Fund awards you have held as a Principal Investigator; GCRF or Newton Fund awards with which you have been involved as a Co-Investigator or in another capacity; GCRF or Newton Fund events you may have attended or participated in; and any GCRF or Newton Fund applications you may have made which were unsuccessful.

Applications to Other Funding Bodies*

Please tell us here if you have made any other applications in connection with this project? If so, with what results?

Primary 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.

Employing Organisation*

Please be aware that it is your responsibility to ensure that you complete your application in time for your UK host organisation to process it and provide their approval by the closing date.

Please use the search bar to find your home organisation and add the organisation to your application. If your organisation is not available, then it may not be registered in our system. Before requesting the addition of a new organisation, please check that it is not affiliated with any organisation that is already registered. If it needs to be added, please email us at [email protected].

All applications must be approved by the UK host organisation authorities e.g. research grants office, finance department, etc. The approving department will receive email notification once you have completed your application and submitted it. They will be asked to provide approval and then submit the application to the British Academy. It is strongly recommended that the applicant maintains an open dialogue with the approving department at the UK host organisation as the British Academy cannot be held responsible for emails being caught in spam filters or not being received. It is recommended that you allow at least five working days for this process. Once the UK host organisation has checked your application, they will contact you if any changes are required; please note that if changes need to be made, these will have to be done before the 22 February deadline as they cannot be done afterwards.

Nationality*

Please use the drop-down list to select your nationality. Additional nationalities can be added after the initial selection if required, by selecting ‘add row’.

Primary* and Secondary Subjects

These grants will be awarded to lead researchers intending to work in any disciplines within the humanities or social sciences.

Please select the subject areas and fields most relevant to your own research, from those in the drop-down list.

Employment Status*

Please confirm that your current position is either permanent or that your current employment will extend beyond the lifetime of the award.

Present Appointment, Department and Employing Institution*

Please give details of your current appointment. The Principal Investigator must be based at an eligible UK university or research institute and must be of postdoctoral (or above) or equivalent status. The Principal Investigator must either be in permanent position at the institution or have a fixed-term position for the duration of the award.

Permanent Position*/Start Date*/End Date

Applicants must be in established academic posts that will continue at least beyond the end of the funded period of the grant. If your post is not permanent, please explain further in the personal statement how you meet the terms of eligibility for these grants. Please include the start date of your present position, and if on a fixed term contract, please enter the expected end date of your current position.

PhD Confirmation*/ Awarded Date

Early career 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.

Please enter the date of your viva voce examination in the ‘PhD Awarded Date’ field.

Statement of Qualifications*

Please give details of up to 4 qualifications in reverse chronological order.

Personal Statement

This field is optional, but may be used, for example, in providing information regarding interruptions to an academic career or your equivalent research experience. The limit on this field is 150 words.

CV Upload*

A brief CV should be uploaded here as a PDF file. This should be no more than 2 pages long. Any CV submitted which is over the 2-page limit will render your application ineligible for consideration. In order to comply with this 2-page limit, the applicant could omit, for example, conference presentations from their CV.

Publications*

Please list up to 6 of your principal and/or relevant publications to date in reverse chronological order.

Principal Investigator Time Allocated*

Please indicate how many hours per week the Principal Investigator will spend on the proposed project.

Where did you hear of this scheme?*

It helps the British Academy to target appropriate resources towards the promotion of the scheme to know where an applicant hears about it. As appropriate, please state: BA website; BA literature; PhD supervisor; Institution Research Office; Twitter, colleague, etc.

Please indicate here if you wish to include any other Co-Applicants. If you select yes, you will be able to provide details of up to two more Co-Applicant(s). You must click ‘no’ on the individual Co-Applicant pages if you do not wish to select any further Co-Applicants.

Please note that all applications must have one lead applicant (PI). Please note that all correspondence is sent via the system only to the individual in whose name the application is submitted on the British Academy Flexi-Grant® system. The lead applicant is responsible for notifying any other parties. If there is more than one applicant, or the research involves other partners, please complete this section, and the relevant sections of the co-applicant personal details and co-applicant career summary. A ‘co-applicant’ is a joint director of the project with equal responsibility for the academic management of the project. Postgraduate students are not eligible to apply for grant support from the Academy, and applicants (and co-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.

Please note that only UK-based co-applicants would be able to take over the leadership of a project should the PI not be able to continue in this role.

Other participants in a project, whose involvement does not equate to being a ‘co-applicant’, should be named in the relevant section (‘Other Participants’) in the Research Proposal section.

Primary*/Secondary/ Other Subject

Please select the humanities and social sciences disciplines most relevant to your own research.

You will need to select the relevant subject areas and fields from those in the drop-down list, or write in the text box provided.

Present Appointment, Department, Employing Institution*

Your co-applicant(s) will need to register themselves on the British Academy Flexi-Grant® system before they are able to complete this section. If applicable, please enter all the details of your co-applicant(s) by clicking ‘Contributors’ tab on the Application’s ‘Summary’ page. Please click on the ‘Invite’ button, enter the co-applicant’s email address and then click ‘Send Invitation’. If necessary, it is possible to enter additional co-applicants by repeating the instructions above. Once you have clicked on the ‘Send Invitation’ button, your co-applicant will be able to view your application and amend their section of the application.

Please give details of your current appointment. We expect to see Co-Applicants based in both the UK and elsewhere in the G7. Co-Applicants must be of postdoctoral (or above) or equivalent status. The Co-Applicant must either be in a permanent position at the institution or have a fixed term position for the duration of the award.

Permanent Position*/Start Date*/End Date

Applicants must be in established academic posts that will continue at least beyond the end of the funded period of the grant. If your post is not permanent, please explain further in the personal statement how you meet the terms of eligibility for these grants. Please include the start date of your present position, and if on a fixed term contract, please enter the expected end date of your current position.

PhD Confirmation*/ Awarded Date

Early career 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.

Please enter the date of your viva voce examination in the ‘PhD Awarded Date’ field.

Statement of Qualifications*

Please give details of up to 4 qualifications in reverse chronological order.

Personal Statement

This field is optional, but may be used, for example, in providing information regarding interruptions to an academic career. The limit on this field is 150 words.

CV Upload*

A brief CV should be uploaded here as a PDF file. This should be no more than 2 pages long. Any CV submitted which is over the 2-page limit will render your application ineligible for consideration. In order to comply with this 2-page limit, the applicant could omit, for example, conference presentations from their CV.

Publications*

Please list up to 6 of your principal and/or relevant publications to date in reverse chronological order.

This section is optional. However, the British 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 and other contributors to your application.