P2R: increasing UK policymaker engagement with research (Grant)

To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation. Check if your organisation is eligible

Who is eligible to apply

The project lead must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding. That organisation will be responsible for submitting the grant application to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). We expect lead applicants to form multi-institutional collaborations that include existing UK networks and relevant UKRI investments. This funding opportunity is open to interdisciplinary teams led by the social sciences and with expertise in mobility, that is the flow of people, knowledge and skills across sectoral boundaries. The core team should also demonstrate expertise around working in or with public sector organisations (local or national government) and experience in talent management skills development approaches. The successful application will include research organisations with an established track record of offering P2R opportunities, combined with clear proposals for new collaborations with underrepresented research organisations in this space. The investment will support academic and policymaker engagement across a range of themes, disciplines, and departments.

International applicants

Project leads from non-UK organisations are not eligible to apply for funding for this opportunity.As this is funding to develop UK infrastructure, the inclusion of project co-leads based in non-UK organisations would need to be strongly justified. Read project co-lead (international) policy guidance for details of eligible organisations and costs.

Business, third sector or government body project co-leads

Please note the guidance on UK government stakeholders in the Partnerships information in the ‘What we are looking for’ section of this guidance.Business, third sector or government body project co-leads based in the UK can also be included on research grant proposals as a project co-lead. Read Including project co-leads from business, third sector or government bodies for details of eligible organisations and costs.

Resubmissions

We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI. Find out more about ESRC’s resubmissions policy and what constitutes a new application.Please add this text into the FF template. Please also ensure the link is added correctly. 

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

• career breaks

• support for people with caring responsibilities

• flexible working

• alternative working patterns

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

Remit

Complete and submit the remit query form, if you are unsure whether your proposed research falls within the remit of ESRC.

P2R enables direct connections between public and civil servants and research organisations. P2R is part of a wider approach to policy engagement that aims to build trusted relationships between public and civil servants and academic researchers in order to support the creation of effective evidence-informed public policy. This 42-month Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) investment in a P2R infrastructure will enable policymakers to enhance their transferable skills and understanding of research, evidence and data by engaging in relevant activities in an academic setting. The infrastructure will increase the number and range of opportunities for UK public and civil servants, at all career stages, to engage with the UK research community through various formats, such as professional development, training, immersive workshops, placements, and networking. Through these P2R opportunities, public and civil servants from central, devolved or regional, and local government, as well as the UK parliaments, will strengthen their skills and awareness in accessing and applying research evidence and insights in policy development. ESRC expects to make one award under this infrastructure funding opportunity. The investment will bring together UK research organisations, UK public and civil servants, and intermediaries in a wider network to increase their ability to exchange P2R expertise, insights and resources. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is a key strategic partner for this funding opportunity.

Aim

The aim of this investment is to help build an inclusive ‘connective infrastructure’ that facilitates impactful, sustained collaboration between research and policy stakeholders. This investment will enhance public and civil servant’s transferable skills and understanding of how to access and apply research evidence. It will build stronger connections between research and policy communities. Through these initiatives, this investment will support the development of effective public policy based on robust evidence and the expertise of the UK’s world leading research organisations.ESRC has identified a strong interest in, and unmet demand for P2R opportunities through extensive engagement with government and the research sector. There are some excellent examples of existing activity in this space. However, there are significant gaps and overall, the UK research sector’s current offer lacks the diversity, reach, scale and coordination needed. This limits the ability of public and civil servants to easily access and use the evidence and expertise available in the UK’s research and development (R&D) system.This investment will take clear steps to expand and diversify the UK research sector’s current P2R offering and increase the range of opportunities available, through:

• bringing in the full breadth of insights from the UK R&D sector through new collaborations with currently underrepresented research organisations in this space

• addressing geographic gaps in current provision

• making P2R opportunities more accessible to a greater range of public and civil servants

Scope

P2R provides public and civil servants with opportunities to engage with academic experts and learn about the latest research, scientific insights, evidence and tools. It enhances their skills and ability to access and apply robust scientific evidence and use it to improve their work. P2R gives public and civil servants access to world-class researchers and opportunities to develop skills that would not be available to them through work-based training.Access to research organisations will enable public and civil servants to develop their skills in areas such as:

• critical thinking and evidence-informed decision-making

• application of innovative methods and emerging scientific and analytical approaches

• data analysis, interpretation and application

• evaluation and impact assessment

• working with and commissioning academic experts

• applying cutting-edge social science evidence and insights to pressing policy challenges

Applications to this funding must provide the opportunity for public and civil servants to build substantive relationships with the research community while developing their scientific skills and ability to apply research insights. This should be delivered through various formats, such as professional development, training, immersive workshops, placements, and networking. P2R opportunities should be made available to a wide range of public and civil servants across government departments, the devolved administrations and local government, and the UK Parliaments. The infrastructure should also cater for public and civil servants at different career stages (senior, mid-level and junior).The successful applicant team will undertake an initial six-month scoping stage, followed by a gateway review. During the six-month scoping stage, the team will be expected to work with ESRC and our government partners (including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) to co-design and refine its planned approach to delivering the infrastructure over the following three years.This funding opportunity is not intended to support related activities such as placing researchers in policy settings, general knowledge exchange and public engagement or to carry out research on wider policy-research challenges. Moreover, as a general-purpose infrastructure investment, it should not focus on any single specific discipline, thematic area or challenge.

Objectives

We aim to catalyse the creation of a P2R infrastructure that will become sustainable longer term and help build effective and trusted relationships between policymaking and academic communities. This transformational infrastructure will, over 42 months, address the following objectives.Increase the scope and range of P2R activities, through:

• bringing in new partners across academia and policy to address gaps where places are underrepresented

• developing accessible and impactful opportunities for a wide range of public and civil service officials across grades, functions and geographies

Provide strategic leadership on policymaker skill development, identifying skills needs and supporting opportunities to meet this demand, through:

• providing access to a range of P2R activities that equip public and civil servants with skills and opportunities to leverage data, insights and expertise from the UK’s world-leading research organisations

• focusing on developing practical and transferable skills that public and civil servants can use across a wide variety of roles in government

• collaborating with partners to embed skills to access scientific research and engage with academic researchers in training and development across the public and civil service

Provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for P2R opportunities, through:

• establishing a visible and accessible ‘front door’ to signpost, coordinate and broker connections between public and civil servants and research organisations

• demonstrating the positive impact of P2R activities for public and civil servants and research organisations

• demonstrating how to develop effective P2R activities

• bringing together a project team that demonstrates cutting-edge expertise in bridging research, evaluation and policymaking

Partnerships

To realise the transformative ambitions of this funding opportunity, it is essential that the successful applicants coordinate with existing networks and established academic providers in the P2R space. Partnership working will therefore be essential.

UK government stakeholders

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the Government Office for Science (GO-Science), and other government departments and functions are key strategic partners for this opportunity. Their interest is in enabling public and civil servants to develop the skills and connections that will enable them to bring cutting-edge expertise from academia into government.You will need to demonstrate how you will engage with these departments, and others, in shaping and delivering this investment. You are also asked to consider how your proposed activities could contribute to the new UK government missions.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Work with the research councils to build connections between public and civil servants and the full breadth and depth of expertise in their respective research communities.Look to create opportunities to maximise impact from existing investments.

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

You should articulate how you will build on and add value to existing investments and relevant ESRC centres. For example, one existing ESRC investment which supports P2R is the Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs).

We ask that you not contact government stakeholders to endorse your application. Government stakeholders are expecting to work with the successful team and you should build in capacity to work with them once funding is awarded. You should refer to your experience of working with government stakeholders, but we do not expect these contacts to be named as project co-leads and partners on the application (see the questions and answers document under ‘Additional info’ for further details). ESRC will facilitate introductions to key government stakeholders for the successful applicant during the six-month scoping and co-design phase.

Flexibility to respond to new opportunities

The proposed P2R infrastructure should be designed to respond to new opportunities and funding. It should be built in such a way that it is able to seek, and take advantage of, opportunities to take on additional funding, including from stakeholders and additional partners.You should ensure the infrastructure has sufficient capacity to engage with these partners and stakeholders. You should also ensure you have capacity to engage with ERSC’s externally commissioned evaluation for this investment. The successful team will be expected to work with the evaluators to ensure relevant data and evidence is collected to support the evaluation.

What we will not fund

• applications that are limited to single academic disciplines

• applications that are limited to a specific policy challenge or area of research interest

• applications that do not engage with established academic providers in the P2R space

• applications that do not include plans to diversify the UK research community’s offer through increasing the number and range of research organisations and communities that participate in P2R activities

• activities primarily focused on public engagement

• activities that allow for researchers moving into policy spaces

• applications supporting predominantly only one or two research organisations.

• applications focused only on UK central government departments

• applications focused only on government analysts or on civil servants at a single career stage (for example senior civil servants)

• associated studentships cannot be funded as part of an application under this funding opportunity

Timings

The award must begin on 2 February 2026 and is expected to deliver to the following timeline:

• zero to six months: further scoping, engagement with key partners (see the Partnerships section) and development of this collaborative infrastructure, its vision and work programme alongside some early activity

• month seven: submission and formal review of longer-term plans (specifics provided under the Scoping stage and gateway review section)

• eight to 42 months: implementation of long-term plans

Scoping stage and gateway review

In addition to ongoing reporting, a gateway review will be undertaken following a six-month scoping stage. The main purpose of this scoping stage is to engage with key stakeholders and enable the successful applicant team to complete building the partnerships and detailed delivery plans for the main investment.Detailed plans for the first six months of activity should be provided in the initial application and include deliverables that will demonstrate the functionality of the infrastructure from the outset, as well as resourcing and funding plans to engage with key stakeholders, including, for example, inception and stakeholder workshops.An overview of plans and approaches to deliver the longer-term ambition should also be included. We recognise that these plans will be subject to refinement and review during the first six months.Depending on the outcomes of the review, the ESRC may recommend that funding for this investment does not continue or is reduced. If this occurs, the ESRC will give notice to the research organisation in line with the terms and conditions of the funding opportunity.The gateway review will focus on a range of specific deliverables, including:

• a defined vision for P2R and longer-term work plans

• evidence of stakeholder engagement and partnerships to assess the current P2R offer, and identify existing best practice, demand, capabilities, challenges and opportunities

• confirmed engagement of key policy partners, ideally in national, regional and local government and devolved administrations

• a clear plan and budget for building the infrastructure that will enable the research sector to expand its current P2R provision

• effective operational procedures, including governance arrangements and commitment to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

• plans to ensure the effectiveness of working relationships with ESRC and relevant UKRI investments

• clear plans for monitoring, learning and evaluation over the lifecycle of the award as well as the long-term sustainability of the infrastructure

During the scoping stage the successful applicant team will be expected to work with ESRC and its government partners, including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), to co-design the planned approach to delivery. The scoping phase will provide the opportunity to formalise partnerships and senior sponsorship with government partners and networks, for example DSIT, GO-Science, Government Policy Profession and the Analysis Function.We ask that you not contact government stakeholders to endorse your application. ESRC will facilitate introductions to key stakeholders for the successful applicant (see Partnerships section). ESRC expects these partnerships to be formalised during the initial scoping stage, but applicants will need to demonstrate their ability and willingness to work with government partners in their initial application.For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional Information section.

Duration

The duration of this award is 42 months.Projects must start by 2 February 2026.

Funding available

The 100% FEC of your project can be up to £3,800,000.The maximum ESRC contribution is £3,000,000.

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. TR&I is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

ESRC data infrastructure

ESRC supports a range of data infrastructure. Where relevant, we encourage applicants to consider whether the use of these resources could add value to the project. See Facilities and resources for information on finding and using ESRC datasets which are available across the UK.Where relevant, details of datasets and infrastructure to be used in your project should be given in the Facilities section.

Data requirements

ESRC recognises the importance of data quality and provenance. Data generated, collected or acquired by ESRC-funded research must be well-managed by the grant holder to enable their data to be exploited to the maximum potential for further research. See our research data policy for details and further information on data requirements. The requirements of the research data policy are a condition of ESRC research funding.Where relevant, details on data management and sharing should be provided in the Data Management section. See the importance of managing and sharing data and content for inclusion in a data management plan on the UK Data Service (UKDS) website for further guidance. We expect applicants to provide a summary of the points provided. The UKDS will be pleased to advise applicants on the availability of data within the academic community and provide advice on data deposit requirements.

Research ethics

ESRC requires that the research we support is designed and conducted in such a way that it meets ethical principles and is subject to proper professional and institutional oversight in terms of research governance. We have agreed a Framework for Research Ethics that all submitted applications must comply with. Read and guidance on compliance.

Assessment process

You should seek to address the objectives as set out in the scope detailed in the ‘What we’re looking for’ section and address the considerations outlined.Any applications Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) consider to be outside the scope of the funding opportunity, or not primarily within the remit of ESRC, will be rejected prior to assessment.We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.We will assess your application using the following process.

Panel

The assessment process involves a review and shortlisting process by an expert panel, which will shortlist applications for the final interview stage.We will invite experts to independently assess the quality of your application against the specific criteria for this funding opportunity.The primary assessment criteria are those under the Vision, Approach, Applicant and team capability to deliver, and Resources and costs justification sections. However, panel members will be guided to take account of all the assessment criteria in deciding which application to recommend for funding.Government partners will be involved throughout all stages of the assessment process.

Interview

If shortlisted, you will be invited to interview the week commencing 15 September 2025 after which the funding recommendation will be made.ESRC will make the final funding decision.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in peer review

Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard.For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI.

Sharing data

We may need to share the application (including any personal information that it contains) with government departments so that they can participate in the assessment process.

Evaluation areas

This is an open and competitive opportunity that will result in one successful award. Applications will be examined for their fit to the scope and remit of the funding opportunity using the following evaluation areas:

• a compelling vision for the future of P2R infrastructure in the UK, detailing the extent to which the proposed infrastructure will achieve transformative impacts through a strong, co-developed vision, with clear short-term and long-term benefits. Assessors will evaluate an applications alignment with the opportunity aims and objectives, and its plans to facilitate impactful, sustained collaboration between research and policy stakeholders.

• a clear approach that sets out your plans to manage and deliver the proposed infrastructure to expand and diversify the UK research sector’s current P2R offering.

You will need to set out:

• a project plan for the scoping stage (the first six months), including timeline, deliverables, leadership, governance and consultation arrangements designed to ensure the full and continuous involvement of all opportunity partners

• a plan for the main delivery phase (three years), including activities, deliverables and how you will test these plans with partners during the scoping stage, and involve them in the final co-design process

Capability to deliver the proposed infrastructure through having brought together an interdisciplinary, social science-led team from across multiple institutions. This should include evidence of effective collaboration between policy stakeholders and academic experts, and ability to manage a large, complex programme with diverse stakeholders.That you have fully considered the ethical and responsible research and innovation relevant to your proposed approach.Resource and cost justifications that set out what you will need to deliver the proposed infrastructure, including:

• detailed and fully costed plans for the scoping stage (six months)

• plans for the main delivery phase (three years) that set out the main budget headings, resource allocation and principle workstreams

The project team is expected to think critically about how to ensure the infrastructure’s sustainability. This involves identifying potential risks, identifying future funding sources and opportunities to secure the project’s legacy and ensure its benefits continue to be realised over time. The infrastructure should be built in such a way that it is able to seek, and take advantage of, opportunities to take on additional funding, including from stakeholders and additional partners.

You should also ensure you have capacity to engage with ESRC’s externally commissioned evaluation for this investment. The successful team will be expected to work with the evaluators to ensure relevant data and evidence is collected to support the evaluation.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• vision

• approach

• applicant and team capability to deliver

• ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

• resources and cost justification

• data management and sharing

• equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

• embedding environmental sustainability

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Click here to start application on the UKRI Funding Service Are you leading the project? - UKRI Funding ServiceWe are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

1. Confirm you are the project lead.

2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.orgPlease allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this funding opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.

3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.

4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.

5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You should:

• use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words

• insert each new image onto a new line

• provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)

• ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the Funding Service.For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service

• how research offices use the Funding Service

• how reviewers use the Funding Service

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. Applicants should use their discretion when including reference and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors, for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.

Deadline

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) must receive your application by 6 May 2025 at 4:00pm UK time.You will not be able to apply after this time.Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data

ESRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.ESRC, as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with government departments so that they can participate in the assessment process.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email esrcp2r@esrc.ukri.orgInclude in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)

• declaration of interest

• additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section

• conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection

• the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Publication of outcomes

ESRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at What ESRC has funded.If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 600In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

• opinion-formers

• policymakers

• the public

• the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

• context

• the challenge the infrastructure addresses

• aims and objectives

• potential applications and benefits

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

• project lead (PL)

• project co-lead (UK) (PcL)

• project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))

• specialist

• research and innovation associate

• technician

• grant manager

• professional enabling staff

Only list one individual as project lead.UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Vision

Word limit: 2,000What are you hoping to achieve with the proposed infrastructure?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how the proposed infrastructure will:

• be timely, given current trends and context

• meet the evidenced needs of clearly identified user groups

• have measurable impact

• enable high quality and important policymaking translation

• meet the strategic aims of the funder or government

• offer training opportunities

• enhance, benefit and complement the existing landscape

• support innovation in policy to research stakeholder engagement

• be of international importance (if applicable)

References may be included within this section.You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Approach

Word limit: 2,000What are your plans to manage and deliver the proposed infrastructure?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

We expect you to show how your approach includes:

• a credible management plan including strategic and operational matter

• if applicable, a legal model

• details of governance

• feasibility of the project plan that details activities and deliverables that will be undertaken during the six-month scoping stage and the main delivery phase (three years) following the gateway review (see Scoping phase and gateway review section)

• a work plan, milestones, deliverables, and the ESRC’s externally commissioned evaluation in the form of a Gantt chart or similar

• identification of risks and appropriate mitigation in the form of key performance indicators (KPIs) to determine the delivery of outputs and outcomes

• plans for support and maintenance of the proposed infrastructure over the estimated life span, identifying future needs and potential upgrades

• details of access and usage particularly where a culture of infrastructure sharing may extend use to the policy community

• training and development of staff and those who may interact with the infrastructure, including Research Technical Professionals

• a description of the working environment

• identification of how accessibility and inclusiveness have been incorporated into the design of the project

• plans for operational sustainability and legacy beyond the end of UKRI funding. These could include cost recovery models, securing additional funding, development or expansion after the initial period of funding

References may be included within this section.You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650Why are you the right individual or team to deliver and manage the proposed infrastructure?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage)

• the right balance of skills and expertise

• the appropriate leadership and management skills and your approach to develop others

• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.The word count for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you, and if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on), have and how this will help to deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed below. You should use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge

• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships

• contributions to the wider research and innovation community

• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

Additions: Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).You should complete this section as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500What are the ethical and RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

• the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations

• how you will manage these considerations

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.If you are collecting or using data you should identify:

• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further re-use of data)

• formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000What will you need to deliver and manage the proposed infrastructure and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:

• project staff

• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)

• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities

• all facilities and infrastructure costs

• if applicable, disposal or decommissioning costs

• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

• if applicable, subscription costs

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified

• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes

• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

Primary discipline classification

Word limit: 5Enter the primary discipline for this project

What the assessors are looking for in your response

This information is used to determine eligibility for ESRC funding and to assist in the selection of appropriate reviewers. Select one primary area of research from the following list of social disciplines and enter into the text field:

• area studies

• demography

• development studies

• economics

• education

• environmental planning

• history

• human geography

• law & legal studies

• linguistics

• management & business studies

• political science & international studies

• psychology

• science and technology studies

• social anthropology

• social policy

• social work

• sociology

• tools, technologies & methods

Your organisation’s support

Word limit: 10Provide details of support from your research organisation.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisation detailing how they will support you, as the applicant, and your proposed activities. This should include details of any matched funding that will be provided to support the activity and any additional support that might add value to the work.Assessors will be looking for a strong statement of support from your research organisation. This information should have been approved for submission by an appropriate institutional authority.You must also include the following details:

• a significant person’s name, their position and office or department, or all

• office address or web link

Upload details are provided within the Funding Service on the actual application.

Project partners

Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.Add the following project partner details:

• the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)

• the project partner contact name and email address

• the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value

If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Project partners letters or emails of support

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the Project partners section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box. Each letter or email you provide should:

• confirm the partner’s commitment to the project

• clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them

• describe any additional value that they bring to the project

• be no more than one A4 page in length

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service. Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the project partners’ section. For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made. Do not provide letters of support from host and project co-leads’ research organisations.

We would hope that applications would include relevant project partners, however, if no project partners are included, please upload a PDF that states ‘no project partners’.

Data management and sharing

Word limit: 500How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.Demonstrate that you have designed your proposed work so that you can appropriately manage and share data in accordance with ESRC’s research data policy and ESRC framework for research ethics (if applicable).Within the Data management and sharing section we also expect you to:

• plan for the research through the life cycle of the award until data is accepted for archiving by the UK Data Service (UKDS) or a responsible data repository

• demonstrate compliance with ESRC’s research data policy and ESRC framework for research ethics. This should include confirmation that existing datasets have been reviewed and why currently available datasets are inadequate for the proposed research

• cover any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data, including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical issues

• include any challenges to data sharing, for example copyright or data confidentiality, with possible solutions discussed to optimise data sharing

If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)

Word limit: 1,000What approaches and activities do you have planned that will embed EDI into your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your EDI plan:

• is effective and appropriate to embed EDI

• comprehensively identifies the key EDI challenges and how they will be addressed and managed

• will report and measure EDI outcomes

• will maximise awareness of and mitigate against bias in your team and the wider community in terms of gender, ethnicity or any other protected characteristic through processes, behaviours and culture

• describes how your approach will build upon and integrate existing EDI good practice into your proposed work

• will share good practice with the wider community to ensure your research has maximum impact

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.References may be included within this section.

Embedding environment sustainability

Word limit: 500How will you embed environmental sustainability within the grant activities.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work will embed environmental sustainability throughout its aims, objectives, operations and research outcomes.You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.References may be included within this section.

Facilities

Word limit: 250Does your proposed work require the support and use of a facility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you will need to use a facility (including access to, and use of data infrastructure), follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project. ESRC encourages the use of secondary and linked datasets.For each requested facility you will need to provide the:

• name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB)

• proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list

• confirmation you have their agreement where required

Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above. If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Trusted research and innovation (TR&I)

Word limit: 100Does the proposed work involve international collaboration in a sensitive research or technology area?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate how your proposed international collaboration relates to Trusted Research and Innovation, including:

• list the countries your international project co-leads, project partners and visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in

• if international collaboration is involved, explain whether this project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act

• if one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act are involved list the areas

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.We may ask you to provide additional information about how your proposed project will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help manage these risks.

Research and innovation impact

Impact can be defined as the long-term intended or unintended effect research and innovation has on society, economy and the environment; to individuals, organisations, and the wider global population.

Webinar for potential applicants

We will hold a webinar on 12 February 2025 at 2:00pm UK time. This will provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.Please contact esrcp2r@esrc.ukri.org to register to attend the webinar.

How UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will use your personal data

The personal data you give us will be shared with the other webinar attendees and those who register an interest in this funding opportunity for the purpose of facilitating networking and collaboration.Your data will be made available until the funding opportunity closes, after which time it will be deleted by UKRI.If you do not wish for your details to be shared, please let us know when you register for the webinar or register your interest in this funding opportunity.Your personal data will be handled in line with UK data protection legislation and managed securely. If you would like to know more, including how to exercise your rights, please see our privacy notice.If you have any questions or wish for your data to be removed from the shared file, please contact: esrcp2r@esrc.ukri.org (the ESRC policy to research team).

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays

• disruptive working patterns and conditions

• the loss of ongoing work

• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Supporting documents

Equality impact assessment for the opportunity (DOCX, 107KB) 

Related content

• UKRI policies and standards

• ESRC research funding guide

• ESRC guidance for applicants

This funding opportunity is part of:

• Creating opportunities, improving outcomes: strategic theme

• Putting data analysis at the heart of decision-making

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page.Important note: The helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact esrcp2r@esrc.ukri.orgAny queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.Email: support@funding-service.ukri.orgPhone: 01793 547490Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm

• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.See further information on submitting an application.

Updates

10 March 2025:

- Additional text added about opportunities to take on additional funding under the 'Evaluation areas' heading in the 'How we will assess your application' section.- Clarification added under the 'Project partners letters or emails of support' heading in the 'How to apply' section about what to do in the UKRI Funding Service application if no project partners are included.- New 'Flexibility to respond to new opportunities' heading and content added in the 'What we're looking for' section.Additional text added about government stakeholders under the 'Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)' heading in the 'What we're looking for' section.- Additional link added under the 'Resubmissions' heading in the 'Who can apply' section: what constitutes a new application.