Call for Discussion Papers: Humanity, Climate & Nature

We are able to support approximately 20 discussion papers. 

The objectives of the discussion papers are to develop the Programme’s initial thinking and understanding of how ‘synergies’, ‘integration’, ‘triangulation’, ‘nexus’ thinking or similar alternatives have been used in tackling the multiple challenges of environment and development. This could include analysing the idea and function of synergistic approaches through the following lenses:

• How synergistic approaches have operated at and across different scales and their impact and rationale for doing so, including their effectiveness or not in connecting the global and the local;
• How synergistic approaches have been experienced and operationalised in specific environment and/or development challenges or policy domains, and with what rationale and to what and whose ends;
• How synergistic approaches can more or less deliberately ignore or hide discussion of power, trade-offs, contestation, tension, misalignment and/or conflict between priorities;
• The differing perspectives and understandings of the meaning, value and experience of synergistic approaches, including perspectives from different geographies, cultures, or viewpoints; how these complement or conflict with each other, and what these tell us about approaches to tackling development and environment challenges and the power relations underlying them;
• How different conceptual and analytical framings and understandings consider synergies, integration, nexus or similar thinking and how this has changed over time and space, such as contrasts between an economic or structural framing compared to a framing based on values and beliefs;
• The monitoring and evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of synergistic approaches, including how different targets and indicators are used to measure performance against different challenges;
• The role of data, including issues of data accuracy and data accessibility in the promotion , operationalisation and outcome of synergistic approaches for tackling development and/or environment challenges;
• The capability (or incapability) for synergistic approaches to support or inhibit transformative change and/or justice.

We are conscious that the subject of Humanity, Climate & Nature has the potential for exceptional breadth, therefore, we are focusing this call on the framing of ‘synergies’ as outlined above. Within that we are particularly interested in proposals that aim to tackle the following questions:

• What do integrated/synergistic approaches and action look like and involve?
• Why are synergistic approaches so attractive on paper but so difficult to achieve on the ground? 
• Is this gap between theory and reality due to challenges in the implementation, or because we are working with the wrong ideas? 
• When did thinking start that different issues should be tackled together, and why? 
• What does ‘bringing things together’ actually mean – is integration different from alignment, and different from synergy? Is ‘bringing things together’ a helpful approach or not?
• Why might that be important - ‘integration’ is a dominant idea – how did we get here, how can we understand it, what does it mean for how societies are organised or thinking about themselves?

The target audience for this programme is national, regional and international practitioners and policymakers; as such, the discussion papers should be policy-relevant, focused on practice and presented in a form and language accessible to practitioners and policymakers while still being rigorous and evidence-based.

This means limiting the use of academic jargon or technical terminology, as well as including relevant examples and adopting a clear, concise and well-structured writing style.  

We note that policy can be defined as the system of ideas and processes which govern behaviour and practice to achieve defined goals, within an organisation or community, in other words, including NGOs, business and other formal and informal groups.

We welcome contributors who draw upon experience, evidence, and knowledge from global, national, regional or local contexts, and from disciplines across the humanities and social sciences, as long as they can demonstrate relevance to objectives and scope of the call. 

The expected deliverable is  a concise, robust, evidence-based, well-referenced, and balanced discussion paper that responds to the framing and objectives and addresses the audience(s) identified above.

As a guide, the length of the paper should be around 4,000 words and no more than 5,000, excluding references. It should also be evidence-based and meet usual academic standards.

As the target audience for this programme is primarily practitioners and policymakers, the discussion papers should be policy-relevant, focused on practice and presented in a form and language accessible to practitioners and policymakers while still being rigorous and evidence-based. This means limiting the use of academic jargon or technical terminology, as well as including relevant examples and adopting a clear, concise and well-structured writing style.

All papers will be subject to a review process which will be facilitated by the Academy.

We expect the work to draw from existing knowledge, research, and analysis on these topics; this call is not intended to fund new research.  Authors can draw on their previously published material, as well as a wider evidence base, but the discussion paper should be an original work that has not been published elsewhere already.

These are not opinion-pieces, but should include case studies, useful conclusions, and where appropriate, proposals, areas for further discussion, or gaps and opportunities for consideration.

The discussion paper will be an important input to an active programme of international policy work. Following our review process, the discussion paper will be published in the author’s name by the British Academy, either individually or as part of a series.

Contributors (jointly authored papers will be accepted) must have demonstrable expertise, via experience in relevant academic, policy, or practice contexts or roles that enables them to contribute authoritatively to the policy debate on this issue. They can be based anywhere in the world.

The nature of this Programme means that a range of perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed and expected. We welcome applications from practitioners, policymakers and researchers at all stages of their careers, including independent researchers.

The framing of the programme is around the SHAPE disciplines and as such the papers should draw on evidence from them, however, it is important to highlight that non-academic expertise and contributors are encouraged, and that contributions can draw in knowledge and inputs from STEM disciplines if helpful.

This is a paid commission with fixed terms.

The fee paid for each paper will be £2,500.

Payment will be made in full following confirmation that the completed draft has sufficiently responded to feedback given following first draft and is of publishable quality as determined by members of the Humanity, Climate & Nature programme.

Key Dates:

• Application deadline: 16 September 2026 at 17:00 (BST)
• Outcome communicated: 7 October 2026
• First draft delivery deadline: 7 December 2026
• Feedback provided following review: 25 January 2027
• Final draft delivery deadline: 1 March 2027

Additional revisions may be required following review, with opportunity to refine the paper alongside further potential engagement opportunities with the Programme.

Following review, copyediting and design, we expect to publish papers in spring/summer 2027.

To respond, please submit a proposal comprising:

• A brief CV (maximum two pages); and
• A short outline or abstract (1000 words) describing the proposed discussion paper.

These should be submitted using the below form by 16 September 2026 at 17:00 (BST). 

Please ensure that your outline/abstract describes how your paper will respond to the objectives and the scope of the call. It should aim to give a good sense of what you propose to do and indicate how you will respond to the call framing we have put forward.

Your proposal will be evaluated by the Humanity, Climate & Nature Programme Co-Chairs, alongside members of the Academy’s Global Strategy, Policy & Engagement Team.

In order for assessment to be considered, applications must meet the following mandatory criteria:

• They must submit a brief CV that is not more than two pages in length and a short outline or abstract that does not exceed two pages.
• They must demonstrably and clearly meet the requirements as set out in the call, including the objectives and scope of the call.
• They must confirm in writing in their abstract/outline that they have understood the timeline as set out in the call and agree to meet it in all respects.

Proposals which meet the mandatory minimum criteria will then be assessed using the following criteria: 

• The relevance and value of the proposal to the scope and objectives of the call and the Programme as a whole; 
• The quality of the proposed approach and robustness of the ideas presented; 
• The relevance and value of the proposal to the audience of the call; 
• The demonstrated capability, expertise and experience of the contributor(s) to deliver the proposal in line with the requirements of the call.

Applications meeting the mandatory requirements will be assessed against:

• Relevance and value to the Programme and call objectives.
• Quality and robustness of the proposed approach.
• Value to the intended practitioner and policymaker audience.
• Demonstrated expertise and capability of the contributor(s).