British Academy Innovation Fellowships 2026

Contexte

Applications are invited for the British Academy Innovation Fellowships Scheme 2026. The Innovation Fellowships scheme will provide funding and support for established early-career and mid-career researchers in the humanities and social sciences to partner with organisations and business in the creative, cultural, public, private and policy sectors, to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions.

Through the Innovation Fellowships, their researchers in the SHAPE community will be supported to create new and deeper links beyond academia, so enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, as well as individual skills development.

The Innovation Fellowships scheme has two routes: Route A: Researcher-led and Route B: Policy-led. This call is for Route B with the Academy, working with the FCDO and Cabinet Office.

Missions et responsabilités

• Partner with organisations and business in the creative, cultural, public, private and policy sectors to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions.
• Create new and deeper links beyond academia, enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, as well as individual skills development.
• Focus on specific areas of interest including Applied History, Critical Infrastructure and European Warfare, South Asia Geopolitics and Regional Security, The UK-France Relationship in 2027 and Beyond, and UK National Security Strategy.

Profil recherché

• Eligible applicants must be ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom with a current long-term appointment that will continue for at least as long as the period of the award at a UK-based institution (e.g., a Higher Education Institution [HEI] or Independent Research Organisation [IRO]).
• Must meet the requirements set out in the ‘Working at and with the FCDO’ section.
• Applications are welcome from early-career researchers and mid-career researchers.
• Note that applications from independent researchers cannot be accepted in this round of the scheme.
• Applicants may not hold more than one British Academy award of a comparable nature at any one time.
• Applicants for the Innovation Fellowships Scheme should be intending to pursue challenges that can benefit from the contribution of Humanities or Social Sciences expertise.
• Postgraduate students are not eligible to apply for grant support from the Academy, and Applicants are asked to confirm in the personal details section(s) that they are not currently working towards a PhD, nor awaiting the outcome of a viva voce examination, nor awaiting the acceptance of any corrections required by the examiners.

Conditions et avantages

• Awards of up to £120,000 for 12 months in duration.
• Full Economic Costing at 80 per cent.

Dossier de candidature

• Confirmation in the personal details section(s) that the applicant is not currently working towards a PhD, nor awaiting the outcome of a viva voce examination, nor awaiting the acceptance of any corrections required by the examiners.
• Fulfillment of requirements set out in the ‘Working at and with the FCDO’ section.

Comment postuler

The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is 18 November 2026, 17:00 (GMT).

Click here to apply: Click here to apply

For more information, visit British Academy Innovation Fellowships.