Pre-announcement: ESRC applicant-led: grow awards

Overview

ESRC grow awards help social science researchers make a real step-change in their careers. You set out a defined project through which you develop, deploy and test new skills. This is a pre-announcement, so the details may change. The awards suit researchers at three key points: establishing independence as a researcher, pivoting into a new social science discipline in a bold way, or building expertise in advanced or emerging methods, technologies or approaches. You can be at any career stage. The focus must be on developing the project lead. There is no set model. Your project could be research or data analysis, secondary analysis of existing data, collaboration or mentoring, a placement or secondment, or skills and methods development. You must explain how the award will affect your career progression and strengthen the wider UK social science research base. The full economic cost of your project can be between £100,000 and £500,000, and ESRC will fund 80% of it. Projects can last between 18 months and five years. Applications open on 5 November 2026 at 9:00am UK time. There is no closing date. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for ESRC funding. Social sciences within ESRC's remit must make up more than 50% of the research focus and effort. One practical point: ESRC does not expect to limit applications, but it may introduce limits on the number of applications if interest is very high. Uninvited resubmissions of projects previously sent to UKRI cannot be accepted. Official source: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/esrc-applicant-led-grow-awards/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 15 October 2026.