ODA International Interdisciplinary Research Projects Scheme 2024

This call is supported from the UK’s International Science Partnerships Fund managed by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology.

Programme Aims

• The purpose of each project will be to develop new international interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences that is ODA-eligible. Applications that are not considered ODA-eligible will not be taken forward through the assessment process.
• Research may be problem-focused, creatively innovative and exploratory, and should bring together relevant disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, where appropriate, for maximum impact/effect. The Academy requires all applications to fundamentally involve and integrate both the humanities and social sciences. If this is not clearly demonstrated by applicants, applications will be considered ineligible and will not be taken forward through the assessment process.
• Furthermore, whilst it is not a requirement, applications are welcome to work across the humanities and social sciences and the natural, medical and engineering sciences. The Academy particularly encourages applications led from the humanities.
• The Academy sees this broad scope as essential in bringing together the range of disciplines across the humanities and social sciences which are required for an award under this programme. The Academy expects awards under the programme to engage deeply with the values, heritage, justice, languages, vocabularies, traditions, cultures, literatures, histories and self-understandings that are essential to international interdisciplinary research between the humanities and social sciences.
• The Academy envisages the awards made through the Programme will:
  • Provide opportunities for early career researchers based in the UK and internationally to lead and manage international interdisciplinary research projects and teams;
  • Enable early career researchers based in the UK and internationally to gain experience and develop their skills in international research, international collaboration and cross- and interdisciplinary research developing their research and career for the future;
  • Advance the research field, knowledge exchange, practice and/or policy development in their chosen area of ODA-eligible research;
  • Develop ways of communicating and collaborating in cross-disciplinary and multilingual working, in partnership with colleagues internationally.

Value of Funding

• The total funding available per award in this call is up to £300,000 over 2 years. Within that limit of £300,000 over 2 years the award is offered at 80% FEC (i.e. the total contribution requested from the Academy may not exceed £300,000 and the total project value at 100% FEC may not exceed £375,000).

Duration and Start of Award

• Projects must be 24 months in duration and are expected to commence between March/April 2024.
• The call is expected to be able to support at least 17 awards.

Eligible Countries

• This funding is focused on enabling UK-based early career researchers to work with early career researchers in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries.
• 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.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• 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 the 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 UK university or research institute. The PI’s position must last at least the duration of the grant funded by the Academy.
• The PI can spend a minimum of 20% of their time and a maximum of 100% 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% 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.
• PIs may not hold more than one British Academy award of a comparable nature at any one time.
• An individual cannot be the PI on more than one bid under the British Academy’s ODA International Interdisciplinary Research Projects programme.
• Awards are available for PIs who are UK-based early career researchers in any discipline within the humanities and social sciences. An early career researcher is defined as 0-7 years post-PhD.
• Applicants can be of any nationality.
• Applicants must hold a doctoral degree (or have equivalent research experience).
• Awards are available to individuals, to be held in an institutional context.
• Awards will not be made retrospectively: this means that the work for which support is requested must not have commenced before the award is announced. Applications must be for new research ideas that are coherent on their own and are cutting-edge.

For more information, visit The British Academy.