UK National Coordinator and survey data collection for the European Social Survey, Round 13 and 14 (Grant)

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility, and organisations who are based overseas. Check if your organisation is eligible.

International researchers

As ESRC is a lead funder for this opportunity, international researchers can apply as ‘project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))’. You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners.

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.

Aim

The aims of this opportunity are:

• to identify a National Coordinator for Round 13 and 14 of the European Social Survey (ESS) in the UK

• to deliver data collection for Round 13 and 14 of the ESS in the UK

ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:

• produce high quality data that meets the requirements of the ESS European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) specification, building on the existing cross-national and time series data

• produce data that meets the needs of the UK and international research, and wider stakeholder communities , and ensure those communities have timely access to the data

• collaborate across the ESS, meeting the requirements of the ESS ERIC Specification, to deliver UK interests and enable the research wider stakeholder communities to fully utilise ESS data

• promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities in the UK, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public

By delivering the objectives ESS will support the delivery of ESRC’s Data Infrastructure Strategy. In particular within the following focus areas: building and sustaining a foundation and impact and public benefit.

Applications should clearly outline how their project objectives and work packages contribute to the above ESRC funding objectives for ESS. Applications will be assessed and prioritised based on how well they deliver the funding objectives, opportunity specification and ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,070KB).

Scope

Each ESS ERIC member or observer must appoint a National Co-ordinator (NC) and a survey agency to undertake the ESS in their country. The NC and survey agency may be located in a single institution.

The successful applicant(s) will be appointed UK National Co-ordinator for two rounds (48 months) and be responsible for delivering two rounds of data collection (Round 13 and 14). Please read the ‘Survey implementation and data collection’ section carefully for requirements regarding subcontracted data collection.

Applications should be based on the details outlined in this opportunity and the ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,070KB), this will include NC activities and fieldwork for Round 13 and anticipated NC activities and fieldwork for Round 14. Upon publication of the Round 14 survey specification (anticipated late 2027), should major changes in the requirements of the National Co-ordinator or survey data collection occur, ESRC will work with the NC and ESS ERIC to ensure the necessary support to meet the ESS requirements are provided.

As required, before the start of Round 14, ESRC will conduct a proportionate review of the delivery of the ESS in the UK, to ensure the objectives agreed through this opportunity are being delivered. ESRC retains the right to make changes in line with the terms and conditions of the award if required. It is anticipated that significant changes would only be made in the following circumstances:

• the NC is not delivering the agreed objectives

• significant changes in the requirements for the NC and survey data collection are made by ESS ERIC in Round 14

• assumptions for calculating fieldwork budgets for Round 14 are substantively incorrect

• ESRC accepts an adjustment suggested by the NC or ESS ERIC

This funding will support National Co-ordination for Rounds 13 and 14, including:

• survey implementation

• communication

• dissemination

This funding will also support survey data collection, including the planned activities for Round 13 and anticipated activities for Round 14.

A minimum of £200,000 of the funding is to be used for National Coordination. Applicants must describe how they will balance funding for fieldwork and National Coordination costs, as well as justify why this is appropriate. The primary objective of this work is to deliver the ESS in the UK as per the ESS Specification. ESRC’s next priority objective is to further support dissemination, engagement, promoting use and impact. See ‘Dissemination: promoting use and impact’ for further details.

As an investment from the ESRC infrastructure team, academic research using the data is not within scope of this funding opportunity, for further details on this please see the ‘What we will fund’ and ‘What we will not fund’ section.

Activities funded from ESRC’s contribution must be used for the delivery or improvement of the study as a data infrastructure for use by the wider research community. However, applicants are welcome to conduct aligned activities using different funding sources, these alternatively funded aligned activities can be discussed in the application where they provide additional value to ESS in the UK.

Applicants should outline why their decided approach is the best way of delivering the ESS in the UK.

For the following two sections (National Co-ordination and Survey implementation and data collection) information is drawn heavily from the ESS Round 13 Specification, these are highlighted to support understanding of key requirements. However, please refer to the full ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,070KB) when writing your application for full details.

For planned activities for Round 14, applicants should utilise the information provided in the ESS Round 13 survey specification. Upon publication of ESS Round 14 survey specification, should major changes in the requirements of the National Co-ordinator or survey data collection occur ESRC will work with the NC and ESS ERIC to ensure the necessary support to meet the ESS requirements are provided.

National Co-ordination

It is anticipated that the NC will need to spend approximately 8 months full-time equivalent on their activities in each round (24 months), this is dependent on involvement in previous rounds and approaches taken. The NC can be an individual or a team.

The NC will:

• be a person of standing within the social science community of their country

• be familiar at first hand with survey methodology and procedures, in particular self-completion approaches

• be knowledgeable about past national or sub-national studies of a similar nature

• be fluent in spoken and written English

• be willing to oversee the work of the survey organisation or other third parties responsible for parts of the survey life cycle

• have experience of cross-national research

• be accepting of the ESS specification

• act as a data processor in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation

The key roles of the NC are to coordinate activities of the ESS ERIC at a national level and ensure national compliance with the ESS specification for that round. Some of these tasks may be performed by external survey agencies or other suppliers. The NCs are expected to contribute to strategic discussions about the ESS methodology and detailed discussions on ESS questionnaire design. Broadly the NC is responsible for survey implementation, communication and dissemination. The NC work is broadly spread across 4 stages:

• preparation for data collection and country questionnaires

• start of data collection and progress monitoring

• data preparation and processing

• dissemination of results

The tasks the NC must perform or arrange others to perform under their supervision are:

• communicating with the Core Scientific Team and attending two NC Forum meetings per year (for Round 13, we expect one in-person meeting and one virtual meeting per year)

• selecting and liaising with the Survey Agency or other third-party suppliers (where applicable)

• signing a Data Processor Agreement with the ESS ERIC and sub processor agreements with any appointed by the NC (for example, survey agency, mailing company)

• ensuring data protection, anonymity and confidentiality and full compliance with applicable data protection laws

• participating in questionnaire development and pre-testing, including carrying out a national pre-test

• discussing available sampling frames and sampling procedures with the Sampling and Weighting Expert Panel and ensuring these are signed off before fieldwork begins

• providing a sampling frame

• where applicable, briefing and training fieldworkers

• preparing and issuing survey materials (for example, invitation and reminder letters)

• identifying optimal respondent incentives and arranging their purchase and dispatch

• preparing for and planning data collection, including recording the return of paper questionnaires

• delivering and overseeing data collection, including arranging mailing of invitation and reminder letters and deployment of fieldworkers as outlined in the specification

• delivering the target (effective) sample size, while maximising response rates and ensuring a nationally representative sample

• arranging return, recording, and data entry or scanning of completed paper questionnaires

• preparing, depositing and finalising data and other deliverables to the ESS Data Archive and communicating with the ESS Data Archive

• adhering to national and institutional ethical procedures

• disseminating ESS findings and methodological outcomes

• arranging for a survey agency representative to attend a Field Directors’ Meeting, where applicable

Detailed breakdown of these tasks can be found in full in the ESS Round 13 survey specification .

Please refer to the full ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,070KB) when writing your application. All activities must be completed in line with the ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,070KB).

ESRC also require the ESS NC to produce budget estimates for proceeding rounds as ESS specifications are released at the ESRC’s request.

The expected deliverables for both the National Coordination and the survey data collection are the following data files:

• data from main questionnaire (combined web and paper), including country-specific questions and respondent experience questions

• self-completion contact data

• sample design data file

• raw data from main questionnaire (separate files for web and paper, including verbatim answers from open questions from both web and paper questionnaires (including ancestry))

And the following documents:

• national technical summary (NTS) with appendices (education, income, political parties, marital and relationship status)

• population statistics according to a central specification

• main paper self-completion questionnaire(s) (all language versions)

• contact form(s) or code used for collection programme

• fieldworker instructions, briefing and training material

• invitation letters and reminders, screen shot of any email or text reminders, screen shot of landing pages, photo of example of envelopes used, data protection information sheet, brochures and other written information provided to the respondents

All activities should be conducted to the timeframe outlined in the ESS Specification for each round. For Round 13 the key dates are:

• July 2026: Round 13 version of the myESS project portal available for R13 preparations and discussions

• July 2026 to July 2027: sample design plans discussed between NCs and the Sampling and Weighting Expert Panel, signed off by the Sampling and Weighting Expert Panel

• 16 September 2026: deadline for NC to communicate any new or repeated country-specific items in ESS13 questionnaire

• 15 October 2026: penultimate draft main questionnaire sent to NCs for comments

• 29 October 2026: deadline for NC feedback on draft main questionnaire

• 11 November 2026: deadline for the General Assembly representative and NC to confirm funding for R13 to ESS HQ

• 16 November 2026: ESS Round 13 source questionnaire released to NCs, self-completion materials released

• November 2026 to July 2027: questionnaire consultations with the core scientific team on ESS items requiring adaptation beyond standard translation

• December 2026 to October 2027: methodological questionnaire completed by NCs and signed off by Country Contact and ESS HQ

• January 2027: ESS13 data protocol and dictionaries released to NCs

• January to August 2026: review, adjudication, verification, quality checks, staging, and national pre-tests

• from April 2027: NCs to set up and test country-specific implementations of Centerdata tools

• from May 2027: pre-test for self-completion questionnaires and tools

• August 2027: national technical summary made available

• from August 2027: fieldworker briefings for self-completion approach, where relevant

• 1 September 2027: ESS Round 13 data collection starts

• September 2027 to May 2028: monitor data collection

• 20 January 2028: final deadline for R13 data collection start

• 15 May 2028: final deadline for completion of ESS Round 13 data collection

• 28 February 2028: data delivery to ESS data archive (deadline for 1st release countries)

• 30 June 2028: Final data delivery to ESS data archive (deadline for 2nd release countries)

• June to September 2028: first data release expected

• October 2028 to February 2029: second data release expected

Survey implementation and data collection

The primary role of the NC is implementation of required ESS procedures to enable high-quality data collection as outlined in the ESS Specification. Certain tasks will be carried out by the NC, independent of any survey agency, whilst others can be carried out in cooperation with the survey agency.

The ESS survey is made up of a core survey (asked each round) and two rotating modules.

The rotating modules for Round 13 are interdisciplinary perspectives on social (dis)connectedness in Europe and welfare attitudes in Europe: social security in insecure times. Round 14 modules are to be determined following an open call for applications in 2026. NCs can request to include up to five country-specific items in each round subject to sign off by the ESS.

Round 13 and 14 of the ESS will collect data via self-completion survey (web and paper) from a random probability sample, representative of all persons aged 15 and over resident within private dwellings, regardless of their nationality, citizenship or language. An effective sample size of at least of 1500 is required.

ESRC offers applicants two options for conducting the survey data collection for Round 13 and 14. The options are as follows:

• the NC can apply and subsequently appoint a survey agency to be appointed by competitive tender (at each round), which would be administered by the NC, with oversight from ESRC. In this case fieldwork would be funded at 100% FEC

• if the NC is based within an organisation with sufficient inhouse survey capacity they can bid to undertake the co-ordination and survey agency roles for both rounds, where the survey agency aspect would be funded as an 80% contribution from ESRC

For applicants opting for the first option above, in line with UKRI standard terms and conditions (RGC 9.1) and the ESRC research funding guide, all subcontracted social surveys must be subject to normal competitive purchasing principles. ESRC requires that surveys over £10,000 (£8,333 exclusive of VAT) are subject to external competition to ensure best value for money through competitive purchasing processes. Where surveys are expected to exceed £25,000 (£20,830 exclusive of VAT) the research organisation’s full tendering procedures must be followed.

Applicants must ensure sufficient time is built into the project timeline to enable a competitive tender process.

Applicants should seek out quotations for a minimum of three potential fieldwork providers and provide these estimates in the ‘Resources and cost justification’ section. Otherwise, applicants must explain and evidence why this is not possible, and demonstrate that they have considered alternative approaches to procuring all, or some, aspects of the fieldwork.

ESRC reserves the right to reject applications whose subcontracted social surveys are not subject to external competition, or do not provide the necessary evidence prior to expert review.

Where survey data collection is subcontracted, the NC will be appointed as an agent of the ESS ERIC. The organisation must commit to working with ESS ERIC to set up the agent agreement as part of the organisation’s support for the project. Under this arrangement, the supply of fieldwork services will be VAT zero rated and the ESS ERIC will issue a certificate to the fieldwork agency.

Therefore, net (not including VAT) subcontracted data collection costs should be submitted. You may contact datainfrastructure@esrc.ukri.org to access a template of the agent agreement before submitting your application. We strongly recommend engaging with relevant parts of your organisation early to make sure the agent agreement can be set up. As part of your application, you should also outline your plan in case the agent agreement cannot be implemented and how you would deliver the core requirements of this funding opportunity (see application questions). Please contact datainfrastructure@esrc.ukri.org for any questions.

Additionally, where data collection is subcontracted, procurement must occur separately for each round of data collection.

Survey agencies must be capable and ideally have track record of conducting national probability-based surveys to the highest standard via self-completion.

The key tasks of the survey agency are preparing, conducting and monitoring of data collection and processing data and preparing deliverables as described in the ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,070KB). In some cases the survey agency may also be involved in sample design. For some tasks, there shall be overlap between the responsibilities of the NC and the Survey Agency.

The tasks of the survey agency may include, but are not limited to are:

• testing routing and completeness of the web and paper questionnaires

• pre-testing the web and paper questionnaire(s)

• training, briefing, and overseeing fieldworkers, where applicable

• preparing and sending respondent materials (invitation letters, reminder letters, ESS data protection information sheet, incentives, thank you letters)

• sampling implementation (samples of individuals or addresses)

• developing and implementing measures to enhance response rates and to improve sample balance

• NCs, in collaboration with the Survey Agency, are required to have their data collection plans discussed and approved by the Country Contact using the methodological questionnaire

• monitoring data collection progress

• reporting to, or consulting with, the NC and, if necessary, with the CST any measures or interventions not previously planned that are implemented during fieldwork

• where applicable, quality assuring the data entry procedure for paper questionnaire responses

• cleaning and editing data files

• coding and classifying data

• preparing data files and documents , or helping with this

Detailed breakdown of these tasks and requirement for survey agencies can be found in full in the ESS Round 13 survey specification.

Please refer to the full ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,070KB) when writing your application. All activities must be completed in line with the ESS specification.

For Round 13 NCs will have to make key decisions on the data collection approach, most notably:

• fieldworker-first or postal-first approach. Where a postal-first approach is decided applicants must also outline whether a sequential or concurrent approach will be used

• plans for maximising the overall response rate across the full sample (ESS ERIC has a target response rate of 45%), and targeted non-response to address nonresponse bias unless NCs can provide evidence that existing approaches deliver representative samples

Targeted non-response must involve making additional contact attempts to the targeted subgroup of non-respondents in at least one of the following ways:

• carrying out targeted fieldworker visits following the initial contact phase

• sending SMS, email, or digital post reminders where contact details are available

• sending an additional mailing that is distinctive from the primary mailing sequence, agreed with the Country Contact ahead of data collection (for example, additional mailing via private mailing service, in a small box, with a handwritten address)

Decisions should be based on existing evidence in the UK, national factors and experience of the Round 12 self-completion approach.

Applicants will be assessed on their capability to make the above decisions.

Initial plans should be outlined and justification provided, to demonstrate capability. To support applicants an update on the progress of Round 12 self-completion data collection can be found in the ‘Additional Information’ section. Plans outlined will be updated in the light of Round 12 once results are available.

NCs will be required to analyse the results of the Round 12 self-completion survey. They should assess which population subgroups, if any, were underrepresented in the data collected after applying design weights to correct for uneven selection probabilities . Targeted nonresponse for the population sub-groups identified as expecting to be underrepresented will be required.

Experiments are also encouraged in Round 13 data collection. Areas for possible experimentation are comparing sequential and concurrent approaches, as well as experimenting with communication materials, including:

• targeted approaches in letters, such as, noting the importance that younger or low educated groups participate where they are underrepresented, testing the impact of localisation by referring to the respondent’s local area in the letters

• testing digital post services

• experiments with branding or logos, such as, testing impact of including NC institution logo on envelopes, adding second logo of agency or funder, adding ESS logo

• testing different letter designs, such as, more text versus use of icons

• landing page hosting, comparing hosting on university website versus standalone website

• experiments with use of QR codes, including potentially enabling tracking of their usage to fully assess impact

Incentive experiments include:

• targeted incentives where sample frames or information added to them allows this

• comparing visible and non-visible unconditional incentives

• potentially testing with very large conditional incentives

If applicants plan to conduct experiments in Round 13, details and justification must be included in the application. Approval of experiments is subject to consultation with ESS ERIC or Core Scientific Team.

ESS ERIC are also exploring enabling data linkage on ESS Round 13 data subject to successful piloting in Round 12. Applicants are welcome to consider data linkage as part of their application. However, this is subject to ESS ERIC approval following pilots.

Full details on approaches, targeted non-response and experiments can be found in the ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,070KB).

Collaboration

ESS is fundamentally a collaboration. It is therefore essential that the successful applicant meaningfully engages in collaboration to:

• ensure the successful delivery of ESS

• facilitate high quality international research on life in the UK

• enable the UK research community to fully utilise ESS data

The ESS NC is expected to:

• work in collaboration with the ESS ERIC HQ, committees and groups as well as other ESS NCs to support the development and successful delivery of ESS

• represent the UK’s interests as National Coordinator

• engage and collaborate with other ESRC investments and the wider social science community where activities and learning may overlap such as World Values Survey, International Social Survey Programme, and Survey Futures

• engage with strategic projects led by ESRC, such as a review of ESRC’s international data infrastructure portfolio

The application should outline any planned collaborations and its benefits, for example with other ESRC investments or the wider social science community. In addition, how the NC expects to work with the ESS ERIC to support the development and successful delivery of the project in accordance with the specification.

Dissemination: promoting use and impact

As a community resource, the NC must actively demonstrate and promote the value and potential of its data to both academic and non-academic communities as well as the wider public. Applicants are asked to propose a framework to both support non-academic stakeholders and promote the data for academic use. Ongoing engagement with stakeholders to refine the framework is encouraged. The aim of this work is to:

• promote the use of this data to the research and wider stakeholder community to encourage use in the UK

• raise awareness and profile of the ESS in the UK to unlock impact for the research and wider stakeholder community

An effective approach is to publish initial findings that highlight the data’s utility to a broad and diverse audience. However, no national data (or interpretations of such data) can be released, published or reported in any way until the data has been officially released by the ESS Data Archive. Initial findings could be released alongside the data or shortly after, but this must not delay data release itself.

Applicants should consider other structured and proactive approaches for engaging policy and research communities, promoting and demonstrating the utility and availability of the ESS data. A range of approaches and activities are encouraged to maximise the scale and impact of outreach across the UK. Applicants should outline their expected deliverables for dissemination alongside a timeline for these.

Investment monitoring

ESRC will set out monitoring and reporting requirements in the terms and conditions of the award. Award holders will be required to produce an updated timeline, deliverables list and risk register at the start of the grant, for regular discussion with us.

The award holders will be expected to provide us with a short, written, six-monthly update on activities, including risk, finance and progress, and where applicable impact. More frequent updates will be expected on important activities, risks and major project changes if they present a risk to meeting its objectives. Researchfish reporting is also required.

We will assign an investment manager as a lead contact for each funded investment. Contact will include a twice-yearly meeting of the ESS ERIC Troika comprised of ESRC, ESS ERIC HQ and the host institution (City St George’s, University of London). The UK ESS NC will report to Troika and engage in further discussions on UK specific strategy and operation of the ESS in the UK. Additional meetings may also be required.

ESS ERIC also have reporting, monitoring and communication requirements for the NC, these are outlined in the ESS specification.

Applications should include sufficient time for project leads and (where relevant) co-leads to meet these monitoring requirements.

Applications must comply with the ESRC research funding guide.

For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the ‘Additional information’ section.

Duration

The duration of this award is a maximum of 48 months from August 2026.

Projects must start by 1 October 2026.

Funding available

The FEC of your project can be up to £2,310,000.

ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC (exceptions including subcontracted social surveys are funded at 100% FEC).

Where survey data collection is subcontracted, net subcontracted data collection costs should be submitted as the NC is expected to be appointed as an agent of the ESS ERIC, under this arrangement the supply of fieldwork services will be VAT zero rated.

What we will fund

This funding can be used for:

• staff costs

• data collection, distribution and promotion

• engagement and collaboration activity

• travel and subsistence

What we will not fund

This funding cannot be used for:

• standard research projects (even if they are utilising the data)

• writing up previous research

• preparation of books and publications

• literature surveys

• general conference attendance that is not related to conducting the proposed work

• studentships

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 (email: datasharing@ukdataservice.ac.uk) will be pleased to advise applicants on the availability of data within the academic community and provide advice on data deposit requirements.

Impact, innovation and interdisciplinarity

We expect applicants to consider the potential scientific, societal and economic impacts of their research. Outputs, dissemination and impact are a key part of the criteria for most expert review and assessment processes. We also encourage applications that demonstrate innovation and interdisciplinarity (research combining approaches from more than one discipline).

Knowledge exchange and collaboration

We are committed to knowledge exchange and encouraging collaboration betweenresearchers and the private, public and civil society sectors. Collaborative working benefits both the researchers and the individuals or organisations involved. Through collaboration, partners learn about each other’s expertise, share knowledge and gain an appreciation of different professional cultures. Collaborative activity can therefore lead to a better understanding of the ways that academic research can add value and offer insights to key issues of concern for policy and practice.

Knowledge exchange should not be treated as an ‘add-on’ at the end of a project but considered before the start and built into a project.

Research ethics

ESRC requires that the research we support is designed and conducted in such a way that it meets ethical principles. Therefore, we require the research is subject to proper professional and institutional oversight in terms of research governance .

We have agreed a Framework for Research Ethics that all submitted proposals must comply with. Read further details about the Framework for Research Ethics and guidance on compliance.

Assessment process

We reserve the right to amend this assessment process as the funding opportunity progresses. If this is the case, we will publish details of the amended process.

We will assess your application using the following process.

Panel and interview

We will appoint a panel of experts spanning the breadth of the funding opportunity’s scope to assess the quality of your application against the assessment areas. Applications receiving sufficiently supportive reviewer’s comments will be invited to interview. The score threshold will be informed by the level of demand and the quality of the applications received. There will be an opportunity to respond to the assessors’ comments at the interview.

Each panel member will individually assess and score your application against the questions and expectations outlined in the ‘How to apply’ section. The panel will then meet and conduct interviews with applicants, after which they will agree a final score and make a funding recommendation to ESRC.

ESRC will make the final funding decision, based on the advice provided by the panel.

We expect interviews to be held in mid-July virtually. ESRC reserves the right to adjust timelines should that be required.

For more information on how we prioritise applications for funding please visit how we make decisions.

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 expert review

Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment, including to correct language, spelling, grammar and formatting. 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.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

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

• dissemination: promoting use and impact

• contingency plan in absence of agent agreement if subcontracting data collection (if applicable)

• your organisation’s support

• data management and sharing

• equality diversity and inclusion (EDI)

• trusted research and innovation (if applicable)

• international collaboration (if applicable)

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

Click here to start an application on the UKRI Funding Service https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1221/apply/1262

We 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 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.

Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.

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

When including images, you must:

• provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)

• insert each new image on a new line

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

Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include:

• sentences or paragraphs of text

• tables

• excessive quantities of images

A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.

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

References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:

• references are easily identifiable by the assessors

• references are formatted as appropriate to your research

• persistent identifiers are used where possible

General use of hyperlinks

Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.

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

ESRC must receive your application by 21 May 2026 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 this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. 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.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email datainfrastructure@esrc.ukri.org

Include 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.

Institutional Matched Funding

There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations. Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged.

This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.

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: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually 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 project 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

• grant manager

• professional enabling staff

• research and innovation associate

• technician

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: 1,500

What are you hoping to achieve with the proposed infrastructure?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how the proposed infrastructure will :

• produce high quality data that meets the requirements of the ESS ERIC specification and the needs of the UK and international research and wider stakeholder communities, building on the existing cross-national and time series data, and ensure those communities have timely access to the data

• collaborate across the ESS, meeting the requirements of the ESS ERIC specification, to deliver UK interests and enable the research wider stakeholder communities to fully utilise ESS data

• promote the use of the data by the research and wider stakeholder communities in the UK, including to maximise the public benefit of the data through informing policy, practice and the public

Also explain how the proposed infrastructure will:

• meet the evidenced needs of clearly identified user groups, including academics and policymakers

• facilitate high quality and important research

• enable the UK research community to fully utilise ESS data

• generate measurable impact

• enhance, benefit and complement the existing landscape

You should describe why the European Social Survey is valuable to the UK and your vision for maximising this value across Rounds 13 and 14.

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: 2,500

What 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:

• clear work packages that will deliver ESRC’s funding objectives to produce high quality data, collaborate across the ESS meeting the requirements of the ESS ERIC specification delivering UK interests, and promote the use of the data, described fully in the ‘Aim’ section

• a feasible project plan including objectives that align or contribute to ESRC’s funding objectives, a work plan, timeline, milestones, and deliverables in the form of a project management tool or similar (timelines should be appropriate to meet the requirements of the opportunity and the ESS specification)

• an effective plan for high quality representative data collection, requirements are described fully in the ‘Survey data collection’ section of ‘Scope’, including demonstrating a clear capability to make effective decisions surrounding data collection approaches (fieldworker-first or postal-first) and non-response initiatives, initial plans for these should be justified and plans for any experiments and explanation of their value should also be outlined

• compliance with ESS Round 13 specification requirements

• how the project team will ensure they are responsive to the evolving needs of the research and policy communities through engagement activities and potential country-specific questions.

• how you will work in collaboration with ESS ERIC HQ, committees and groups to support the development and successful delivery of the project

• plans for how you will engage and collaborate with other ESRC investments and the wider social science community where activities and learning may overlap (such as the World Values Survey, International Social Survey Programme and Survey Futures) and the benefits of this

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

• an effective, proportionate governance structure for the project

• a demonstration of why the proposed approach is the most effective and valuable way of delivering the study to meet the needs of the community

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: 1,650

Why 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

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, meet the ESS ERIC National Coordinator requirements:

• be a person of standing within the social science community of the UK

• be familiar at first hand with survey methodology and procedures, in particular self-completion approaches

• be knowledgeable about past national or sub-national studies of a similar nature

• be fluent in spoken and written English

• be willing to oversee the work of the survey organisation or other third parties responsible for parts of the survey life cycle

• have experience of cross-national research

• be accepting of the ESS specification

• act as a data processor in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

The word limit for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the 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: 500

What are the ethical and RRI considerations, 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 and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project

• the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, whilst minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm

• how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,500

What 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

• the survey costs

• all facilities and infrastructure costs

• if applicable, disposal or decommissioning costs

• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

• if applicable, subscription costs

Where surveys are subcontracted, applicants should seek out quotations for a minimum of three potential fieldwork providers and provide these estimates in the ‘Resources and cost justification’. Otherwise, applicants must explain and evidence why this is not possible and demonstrate that they have considered alternative approaches to procuring some or all aspects of the fieldwork. Further details on requirements and the evidence required can be found in the ‘Survey implementation and data collection’ section of ‘Scope’.

Where survey data collection is subcontracted, net subcontracted data collection costs should be submitted as the NC is expected to work with ESRC and ESS ERIC to appoint the NC as an agent of the ESS ERIC, under this arrangement the supply of fieldwork services will be VAT zero rated.

You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders.

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

Dissemination: promoting use and impact

Word limit: 1,000

What is your strategy for dissemination to promote use and generate impact?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

• a clear plan of timely activities to promote the data and research using it to interested communities (academic and non-academic) and raise awareness of the ESS in the UK, including expected deliverables and a timeline for dissemination

• appropriate tailoring of the approach to the distinct needs of different stakeholder groups, including both academic and non-academic stakeholders

• a demonstration of why the proposed approach is the most effective and valuable way of delivering the study to meet the needs of stakeholders

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the service.

References may be included within this section.

Contingency plan in absence of agent agreement if subcontracting data collection

Word limit: 500

Where data collection is subcontracted, provide details of your contingency plan in case your organisation is unable to implement the agent agreement with ESS ERIC.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of a clear plan detailing how you would deliver the core requirements of this funding opportunity in the absence of an agent arrangement.

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

Your organisation’s support

Word limit: 100

Provide 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.

The statement should detail why this organisation is well-placed to host the UK ESS National Coordinator and demonstrate its commitment to hosting and running this strategic investment.

Where survey data collection is subcontracted, the statement must also demonstrate that the organisation has:

• made reasonable efforts to review and consider the implementation regarding the template agent agreement

• concluded it is able and willing to be appointed as an agent of the ESS ERIC

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 contributions for example cash, donated equipment and resources, or staff seconded to the project, or indirect and in-kind contributions for example use of project partner’s equipment, datasets, or 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 indirect) 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.

Data management and sharing

Word limit: 1,500

How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

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, and with ESS data archiving rules.

Facilities

Word limit: 250

Does your proposed research 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, 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.

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: 100

Does your proposed work relate to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation principles?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate how your proposed work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation principles including:

• list any dual-use (both military and non-military) applications to your research

• if this project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act, please list the area(s)

• please read the academic export control guidance and confirm if an export control licence is required for this project and the status of any application(s)

• if your project involves any items or substances on the UK strategic export control list, please provide a list

We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information later, in line with UKRI TR&I principles and funding terms and conditions (RGC 2.6.2, 2.7.1 and 2.7.2).

International collaboration

Word limit: 100

Does the proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide details about your expected international collaboration or engagement, including:

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

• details of any subcontractors or service providers

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Background

The European Social Survey (ESS) is an academically driven cross-national, bi-annual, cross-sectional survey that has been conducted across Europe since 2001. The survey measures the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour patterns of diverse populations in more than thirty nations. ESS became a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) in 2013 and is hosted in the UK by City St George’s, University of London. The aims of the ESS ERIC are:

• operate a research infrastructure providing high-quality data measuring change and stability over time within, and between European countries in their living conditions, social structure, public opinion and attitudes

• practise and promote the highest scientific standards in cross-national comparative research in the social sciences

• continue the development of ESS infrastructure through ongoing methodological research and innovation

• facilitate training in the effective use of ESS data

• ensure the visibility, accessibility and reach of ESS data among researchers in the social sciences and beyond, policy makers and the wider public, at both the national and international level

For further details, see ESS website.

Under the ESS ERIC governance structure, the General Assembly shall have full decision-making powers regarding the operations and management of the ESS ERIC. The General Assembly is assisted in this role by a range of advisory boards and committees including a Scientific Advisory Board and Methods Advisory Board. In addition, the General Assembly will work with ESS ERIC Director, who is based at ESS headquarters, City St George’s, University of London. The ESS ERIC Director is supported by the Core Scientific Team and the National Co-ordinators Forum.

From Round 1 to 11 face-to-face data collection was undertaken. However, from Round 11 ESS decided to move away from fully face-to-face data collection. Round 12 is currently being conducted as a mixed-mode approach, comprising half face-to-face collection and half self-completion, to act as a bridge for ESS full transition to self-completion in Round 13.

The UK has participated in all 12 rounds of the ESS and is committed to participating in Round 13 and 14.

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.

Supporting documents

Equality Impact Assessment (PDF, 294KB)Round 12 fieldwork update January 2026 (PDF, 60KB)

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.

Related content

• UKRI policies and standards

• ESRC research funding guide

• Guidance for applicants

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

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, content or remit of a funding 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 application 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 datainfrastructure@esrc.ukri.org

Any 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 547490

Our phone lines are open:• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries more efficiently, 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.

For further information on submitting an application read how applicants use the Funding Service.