British Academy awards £1.3m to 162 small research projects across the UK

Examining what makes teachers stay in challenging schools, understanding British social change through diaries and autobiographical narrative, and exploring the future of news agencies; the British Academy has announced funding for 162 small research projects across the UK.

Altogether the Academy, in partnership with the Leverhulme Trust, has awarded £1.3m to 162 projects.

The awards comprise the latest round of the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Small Research Grants funding scheme – the Academy’s most popular scheme in terms of applications. Worth up to £10,000 each and tenable for a maximum of 24 months, these grants are provided to cover the cost of the expenses arising from a defined research project.

The grants meet a clear need for researchers in the humanities and social sciences. Often, they are used as a first grant opportunity by early career researchers or as seed funding leading to the development of larger projects.

Awards were made to scholars based at 63 different institutions, and to 4 independent scholars. 26% of awards have been offered to candidates based at post-1992 universities – this compares to 16% based in the Golden Triangle and 55% at other pre-1992 universities.

Linda McDowell, Chair of the Research Awards Committee, said:

“We are delighted to announce the recipients of the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust’s Small Research Grants for 2018-19. It was a great pleasure to receive so many applications from across the range of our disciplines. As always, the quality of applications was extremely high and the selection process challenging.

“We wish all the new researchers the best of luck with their work and look forward to seeing the results.”

Some of the projects set to receive funding include:

• Longitudinal Assessment of the Effects of Promotions on Employees’ Work Attitudes and Performance – Dr Sara Ahmed, Assistant Professor, Organisational Behaviour & Human Resource Management, University of Surrey


• Understanding Social Change Through Autobiographical Narrative – Dr Nick Hubble, Reader in English, Brunel University London, Department of Arts and Humanities


• ‘Please Don’t Say Goodbye!’: What Makes Teachers Stay in Challenging Schools? – Dr Linet Arthur, Principal Lecturer Student Experience, Oxford Brookes University, School of Education


• Sexual Violence at UK Music Festivals – Dr Hannah Bows, Assistant Professor in Criminal Law, Durham University, Durham Law School


• The (Lost) Origins of Gothic Cinema: Reconstructing the Old Dark House Mysteries – Dr Xavier Aldana Reyes, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, Manchester Metropolitan University, Department of English Culture, Media and Performance


• Sleep and Vocabulary Development in Toddlerhood – Dr Janette Chow, Career Development Fellow in Experimental Psychology, St Hugh's College, University of Oxford


• Fostering Inmates’ Well-being and Mental Health Through Meditation: A Prison Pilot – Dr Francesca Cornaglia, Reader in Economics, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance


• Transitioning from Food Banks to Supermarkets: A Vulnerable Individual’s Perspective – Morven McEachern, Professor of Sustainability, University of Huddersfield, Department of Management


• The Future of News Agencies: A Case Study of the Associated Press – Professor Terhi Rantanen, Professor in Global Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Media and Communications


• Interviews and Debates with Jean-François Lyotard – Dr Kiff Bamford, Reader in Contemporary Art, Leeds Beckett University, School of Art, Architecture and Design Philosophy.

The next call for Small Research Grants will be issued at the beginning of April 2019.