Funding call: Evidence-informed policymaking grants

The British Academy is inviting proposals related to evidence-informed policymaking in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries.

This programme is supported under the UK government’s International Science Partnerships Fund. The £337m International Science Partnerships Fund is designed to enable potential and foster prosperity. It puts research and innovation at the heart of the UK’s international relationships, supporting UK researchers and innovators to work with peers around the world on the major themes of our time. It is managed by the Department for Science, Innovation Technology. Delivered by a consortium of the UK’s leading research and innovation bodies. In the context of this call, funding from the International Science Partnerships Fund is funded by Official Development Assistance (ODA), therefore applications for this funding must be ODA-eligible.   

Aims     

The aim of this call is to support ODA-eligible international collaborations between researchers, policymakers and practitioners in the UK and those in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries on evidence-informed policymaking. Through this programme, the Academy wishes to develop and enhance the evidence base related to informing policymaking with research. The Academy is aware this is a broad field of research and activity with multiple intersecting and often, but not always, mutually supportive disciplinary communities and policy sectors working on the issues either from a theoretical or practice-based perspective. It is an important aim for the Academy to start to establish mutually reinforcing communities of practice in the longer term so duplication of effort and overly siloed research and practice is avoided.

This programme will support grants in the following areas to develop this evidence base further and applications can consider interventions across one or more of a variety of mechanisms of change, including awareness and attitudes, mutual understanding and agreement, communication of and access to, interaction between policymakers and researchers, skills development, and/or structure and processes related to evidence-informed policymaking:

• Research related to how evidence use theory and research has been implemented in practice
• Research or research-based activities related to knowledge systems strengthening and/or organisational change to support evidence use in practice.
• Knowledge systems strengthening and/or organisational change to support evidence use in practice.

The Academy is looking to support awards that work in the following fields:

• Environment, sustainability and nature
• Transformative technologies
• Health and wellbeing
• Cities and urbanisation
• Global order, geopolitics and international affairs

Eligibility requirements

Each project will be led by a named Principal Investigator (PI). The PI must be a researcher in a discipline within the social sciences or humanities. The PI is expected to direct the research and the management of the project and has responsibility for the overall project reporting requirements.

The PI must be of postdoctoral or above status (or have equivalent research experience). The PI must hold an established role in an eligible university or research institute in the UK, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries. The PI’s position must last at least the duration of the grant funded by the Academy. Please note that applications from independent researchers cannot be accepted in this round of the scheme.

The PI can spend a minimum of 20 per cent of their time and a maximum of 100 per cent of their time on the grant. The time spent on the grant can change over the course of the award but may not be under 20 per cent across the duration of the award. Staff employed on the award may be employed full or part-time regardless of the time the award holder spends on the award.

C0-Applicants must include at least one researcher who is based in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries if the PI is based in the UK. One researcher must be based in the UK if the PI is based in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries.

Value and duration

The value of the award is set at a maximum of £150,000. Projects must be 12 months in duration. The call is expected to be able to support at least 20 awards.

Application process

Expressions of Interest must be submitted online using the British Academy’s Grant Management System (GMS), Flexi-Grant®.

Applications must be submitted by 19 February 2025, 17:00 (GMT).

Contact details

Email: international@thebritishacademy.ac.uk