Neil Ker Memorial Fund 2023-24

Awards are offered to support any aspect of research, including travel and research assistance. Grants are not available to fund attendance at conferences or seminars. The fund is not intended to support research visits to read manuscripts for their textual/historical or literary purposes.

Applications are invited from both early career and established scholars of any nationality, engaged on original research intended to produce monographs, editions or studies of documents, texts or illustrations, that include the analysis of the material features of original manuscripts.

Funding Information

• Grants do not normally exceed £2,000, but in exceptional circumstances, bids for up to £7,500 will be considered for research taking place over a maximum period of 24 months, but more normally tenable for up to 12 months. Applicants should not apply for expenditure that will take place over more than 24 months.
• There is no bar to reapplying for further funding, providing the conditions of award relating to the preceding grant have been satisfactorily fulfilled. Please note, however, that once a pilot project has been successfully completed further applications relating to the main project may be more appropriately directed elsewhere for funding (ESRC/AHRC). There is no guarantee that a re-application will be successful, so applicants with longer-term projects in mind should ensure that their research is so designed that a single phase will have an appropriate and worthwhile outcome, even if further phases are not funded.

Eligible Costs

• Funds may be sought to cover the direct expenses incurred in planning, conducting, and developing the research, including:
  • project planning and development costs (cost of travel for discussion in the UK and overseas)
  • travel and maintenance
  • research assistance (based in UK or abroad)
  • consumables
  • specialist software
  • costs of interpreters in the field
• Applicants must specify in detail in the justification of financial costs requested section of the application the purposes for which the grant is sought.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria:
  • Grants are available for advanced research, at postdoctoral or equivalent level, in the study of Western Medieval manuscripts.
  • Applicants should be of postdoctoral status or have equivalent experience.
  • Applicants may be based anywhere in the world.
  • 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. Please note the earliest point at which research can commence.

For more information, visit The British Academy.