Research Funding

ESRC: Place-based approaches to sustainable living – outline stage now open

ESRC are looking for proposals that deliver interdisciplinary research on place-based approaches for an environmentally sustainable future. The overarching objective for this opportunity is to increase the understanding of place-based approaches for a sustainable future, which will enable enhanced evidence-based decision making.

Desired outcomes of the research include:

• enhanced understanding of environmental challenges and solutions from a place-based perspective to develop findings, tools and theories, which can be applied by local and national policymakers, communities and practitioners
• co-produced solutions or enhanced understanding of place-based approaches for a sustainable living
• contribute towards the evidence base informing the UK net zero by 2050 target and broader environmental, biodiversity and sustainability goals

Areas of interest

Proposals should consider place-based approaches for an environmentally sustainable future. Areas of interest, could include, but are not limited to:

• the circular economy, resource efficiency, and material, energy and environmental conservation linked to specific locales
• place-based solutions to mitigate and adapt places to climate change
• the role and interaction of diverse factors that combine in a place and their influence on sustainability, for example:
  • behaviour
  • education
  • employment
  • housing
  • transport
  • lifestyles
  • local environments
  • finance
  • trade-offs
  • access to, and role of, digital technology or locally produced essentials
• the impact, effect and longevity of common, multilevel and experimental governance on a place (for example, levelling up initiatives) and how local and place-based bottom-up approaches interact with national and policy-driven top-down approaches

Proposals should:

• shape policy and practice at a local level
• outline their approach to spatial and temporal transferability and scalability
• address the ‘just transition’ and consider how place-based approaches can address multiple and systemic inequalities
• enhance the governance relationships between civil society bodies, local authorities, central and devolved administrations

ESRC will fund research grants, running for five years from a start date of 1 April 2024. The FEC of each project can be up to £2 million. ESRC will fund 80% FEC.

For further information please visit UKRIs website

Deadline for outline applications 13 July 2023.

Full opportunity closing date will be in December 2023