Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Grants
ESRC funds economic and social research through UKRI. Grants are held by universities and independent research institutes, and applications come from academic investigators rather than from organisations wanting to fund their own work. Charities and public bodies usually take part as partners on a project.
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has 9 open funds listed here, 5 of which accept applications all year.
Checked daily. Last updated 11 November 2026.
No published award history for Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Some funders do not publish their grants data.
What Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funds
Counted across the 9 open funds on this page.
No deadline listed
Check the funder's current application window before you apply.
ESRC responsive mode: working with Luxembourg researchers round two
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funds collaborative social science research between UK researchers and researchers in Luxembourg, with the UK part costing between £350,000 and £1 million. The UK project lead must be at a research organisation eligible for ESRC funding. The call is open with no closing date. Apply when your application is ready. ESRC starts assessment on receipt and holds regular decision points. Funding Service will still show a closing date for system reasons. Luxembourg partners are listed as project co-leads (International) and are funded by FNR. Their costs go in a separate FNR budget, and no staff costs for them should be in the UK proposal. ESRC pays 80% of the UK full economic cost. The Luxembourg partner must also submit to FNR within seven days of the UKRI submission. Applications go through the UKRI Funding Service, not Je-S. Only the lead research organisation can submit.
Pre-announcement: ESRC applicant-led: explore awards
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
This is a pre-announcement for ESRC explore awards, which back ambitious, curiosity-driven social science. ESRC wants creative, innovative and bold proposals that push disciplinary, methodological or conceptual boundaries. You choose the approach that best fits your aims. That could be a research project, a data resource, an infrastructure initiative or another mechanism. The full economic cost of your project can be between £300,000 and £2 million, and ESRC will fund 80% of it. Projects can last up to five years. You can apply as an individual researcher or as a small team of up to four core members, made up of one project lead and up to three co-leads. You can be at any stage of your career. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for ESRC funding. Applications open on 5 November 2026 at 9:00am UK time. There is no closing date. You will apply through the UKRI Funding Service, not Je-S. One practical point to keep in mind: this is a pre-announcement, so the information may change. More detail will appear on the page when the opportunity opens. Social sciences within ESRC's remit must make up more than 50% of your research focus and effort. ESRC will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects previously sent to UKRI. Official source: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/esrc-applicant-led-explore-awards/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 15 October 2026.
Pre-announcement: ESRC applicant-led: challenge awards
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funds Challenge Awards of between £2 million and £10 million (full economic cost) for large collaborative programmes led from eligible UK research organisations. ESRC pays 80% of the full economic cost. Awards run for up to 60 months. The funder's website shows no closing date and the opening date is to be confirmed, so this is a pre-announcement. Examples the funder lists include a research centre, a new or novel data resource or infrastructure, and a new network with a flexible funding pot. Budgets at the lower end of the range are welcome. You can request up to three associated studentships if each is fully justified. Teams are likely to be sizeable and led by experienced researchers. These are standalone awards, so no further funding follows the award period. Uninvited resubmissions and continuations of earlier funded work cannot be accepted.
ESRC responsive mode: working with Brazilian researchers round two
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funds UK-based social scientists to run collaborative research with partners in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, alongside the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). The full economic cost (FEC) of the UK part can be £350,000 to £1 million, and ESRC pays 80% of FEC. FAPESP pays the São Paulo costs under its own rules. There is no closing date, so you apply when ready. Projects can run for up to five years. UK funding can support standard research projects, methodological development and large-scale surveys or other infrastructures. It cannot pay for writing up previous research, literature surveys, conferences or preparing books. The process starts in São Paulo. The São Paulo lead gets a FAPESP eligibility letter and submits through SAGe. The UK lead then has seven days from receiving the SAGe application to apply through the UKRI Funding Service. Je-S is not accepted.
Pre-announcement: ESRC applicant-led: grow awards
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funds Grow awards for individual social science researchers at UK research organisations eligible for ESRC funding, with a full economic cost of £100,000 to £500,000 per project. ESRC pays 80% of that cost. Applications open on 5 November 2026 at 9:00am UK time and there is no closing date, so you apply when ready. The funder's website lists 3 development routes: establishing independence at an early research career stage, moving within or into social science disciplines in a novel way, and developing expertise in advanced or emerging methods, technologies or approaches. The award must focus on developing the project lead. Social sciences within ESRC's remit must make up more than 50% of the research focus and effort. Apply through the UKRI Funding Service, not Je-S. Your research office checks and submits the application. This is a pre-announcement, so details may change.
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Where this funding goes
Frequently asked questions about Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding
How many Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grants are open right now?+
9 grants from Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are open on GrantMatch today, of which 5 have no fixed deadline. The list is checked daily.
When is the next Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) deadline?+
The nearest deadline is 19 November 2026, and the furthest is 13 April 2027. Always check the funder's own page for the final date before applying.
How do I apply for Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding?+
Each grant on this page links to the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) application page for that fund. Read the funder's own eligibility criteria before you start, since terms differ between funds.