Innovation Fellowships Scheme 2026 – Route B: Policy-Led (FCDO)
The Fellowship will enable a mutually beneficial partnership by providing early and mid-career researchers the opportunity to closely interact with FCDO and Cabinet Office policymakers directly in the heart of this government department’s work. It will enable award holders to strengthen and create new links across policy and academia, and expand their careers in the creative, cultural, public, private and policy sectors.
- Career stage
- Early-career, Mid-career
- Funding status
- Open for applications
- Scheme opens date
- 21 Sep 2026
- Deadline date
- 18 Nov 2026 - 17:00 GMT
- Duration of award
- 12 months
- Contact details
More about the programme
The British Academy has been funded by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade 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) and Cabinet Office, 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 and Cabinet Office.
Aims
The FCDO and Cabinet Office have 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 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:
- Applied History
- Critical Infrastructure and European Warfare
- South Asia Geopolitics and Regional Security
- The UK-France Relationship in 2027 and Beyond
- UK National Security Strategy
Scheme opens date: 21 September 2026
Application Deadline: 18 November 2026, 17:00 (BST)
Value and duration
Awards are expected to commence no later than 31 March 2027. 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 18 November 2026, 17:00 (BST).
Scheme guidance
For more details about the programme and information on how to apply, please see the scheme guidance notes.
