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Sociology Funding

 

 

National Institute for Health Research at the Department of Health

Programmes

The NIHR Central Commissioning Facility commissions research for a number of the NIHR and Department of Health's research programmes. The method of commissioning and the associated processes varies between programmes. The programmes are:

  • Research for Patient Benefit
  • Policy Research Programme
  • Programme Grants for Applied Research
  • Public Health Research
  • Research for Innovation, Speculation and Creativity (RISC)
  • Invention for Innovation

 

 

Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Funding

JRF issues calls for proposals.  They will only accept applications to specific calls

Their aim is to:

"seek to understand the root causes of social problems, to identify ways of overcoming them, and to show how social needs can be met in practice"

 

 

Medical Research Council

Health services and public health research grants

These support short- and long-term focused projects and also broader-based programmes. In addition, they can be used to support method development or development and continuation of research facilities, and collaborations of more than one group, or more than one institution. Eligible research areas are:

•development and evaluation of healthcare interventions;
•population-based aetiological studies, which consider the factors involved in disease progression with particular emphasis on environmental and psychosocial factors;
•implementation studies, which look at how to put research findings into practice;
•methodological developments – the study of methods that underpin health research.

Grants are open to UK-based researchers. Applicants must be of postgraduate status, and should normally have a PhD. Less experienced researchers should apply in collaboration with a more senior colleague.

Grants may last up to five years, but those of two years or less are for proof of principle or pilot work only. Funding at a rate of 80 per cent of full economic costs will be provided to cover a salary, consumables, equipment, travel and data costs.

Deadline: See website

Methodology research programme

This programme is run in partnership with the Dept of Health's National Institute for Health Research. The programme supports research on methods development to underpin the biomedical sciences, experimental medicine, clinical trials, population health sciences, health services research and health policy, including:

•methods for the design and analysis of primary descriptive and evaluative studies;
•methods for the design and analysis of secondary studies involving reviews and evidence synthesis of descriptive and evaluative studies;
•the design, process and analysis of clinical trials including improved methods for the assessment of risk, efficacy, safety and other issues related to regulatory approvals for new medicines, devices and diagnostics;
•methodologies in the applied disciplines underpinning research in the health science, for example, health economics, biostatistics and quantitative analysis, modelling, decision sciences, epidemiology, behavioural sciences and health psychology, qualitative analysis and mixed methods, medical sociology, organisational and management science and bioethics;
•the measurement and validation of health, health outcomes and satisfaction.

The remit of MRP does not include research projects aimed at technology development, but may support analytical approaches and research methods linked to new technology. MRP’s focus is on research with methods development as its primary purpose and methodological outputs that are applicable beyond a specific case-study.

Applicants should follow the normal process for MRC grants.

Commercial organisations and researchers from international institutions are welcome to apply as co-applicants; however the research should be carried out within the UK by a leading UK institution.

Deadline: See website

 

 

Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation

Dissertation Fellowships

The foundation welcomes proposals from any of the natural and social sciences and the humanities that promise to increase understanding of the causes, manifestations, and control of violence, aggression, and dominance. Highest priority is given to research that can increase understanding and amelioration of urgent problems of violence, aggression, and dominance in the modern world.
In addition to our program of support for postdoctoral research, ten or more dissertation fellowships are awarded each year to individuals who will complete the writing of the dissertation within the award year. These fellowships of $15,000 each are designed to contribute to the support of the doctoral candidate to enable him or her to complete the thesis in a timely manner, and it is only appropriate to apply for support for the final year of Ph.D. work. Applications are evaluated in comparison with each other and not in competition with the postdoctoral research proposals. Applicants may be citizens of any country and studying at colleges or universities in any country.
Particular questions that interest the foundation concern violence, aggression, and dominance in relation to social change, the socialization of children, intergroup conflict, interstate warfare, crime, family relationships, and investigations of the control of aggression and violence. Research with no useful relevance to understanding and attempting to cope with problems of human violence and aggression will not be supported, nor will proposals to investigate urgent social problems where the foundation cannot be assured that useful, sound research can be done. Priority will also be given to areas and methodologies not receiving adequate attention and support from other funding sources.
Timing
Applications for dissertation fellowships must be received by February 1 for a decision in June. Applications are reviewed during the spring term and final decisions are made by the Board of Directors at its meeting in June. Applicants will be informed promptly by letter of the Board's decision. Awards ordinarily commence on September 1, but other starting dates (after July 1) may be requested if the nature of the project makes this appropriate.

 

 

NIH (US)

A large number of calls are put out by the various National Institutes of Health in the US. Their weekly funding bulletin is available at:

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/WeeklyIndex.cfm/02-01-2008/

 

 

British Ecological Society

Ecology into Policy Grants

Deadline: Annual

EIPGs are designed to support researchers to conduct a systematic review of the ecological science in an area of policy importance. The purpose of systematic reviews is to provide the best available evidence on the likely outcomes of various actions and, if the evidence is unavailable, to highlight areas where further original research is required. Awards of up to £5,000 are available to cover the cost of accessing information, travel, the employment of short-term assistance (at up to £1,500), training to conduct systematic reviews and purchasing statistical software. The grant is only open to current BES members

 

 

 

Higher Education and Social Change (EuroHESC)

Grants

Deadline: see website

The main purpose of EuroHESC is to develop and implement a programme of interdisciplinary comparative research into the relationship between higher education and society. This will include the development of theories and hypotheses about this relationship and the factors which influence it, as well as addressing methodological issues of comparative research in this field (e.g. data comparability, combination of quantitative and qualitative research, and different levels of analysis).
Moreover EuroHESC is going to explore ways of utilising other social science datasets – for example, the European Social Survey and Eurostudent – in order to set higher education research more firmly within the different social and cultural settings in which it occurs. Finally EuroHESC is expected to make a significant contribution to the development of research capacity in the field of higher education research and to an improved integration between the field and related scientific fields.

 

 

NERC

Standard Research Grants

Deadline: 1 July and 1 December annually

This is an open competition for curiosity-motivated basic, strategic or applied research. Standard grants are for a minimum of £25,000 for directly incurred costs and usually provide funding for up to three years although applications for grants for longer periods will be accepted.The principal investigator must be resident in the UK and be employed at lecturer (or equivalent) level or above by an eligible UK research organisation.


Consortium Grants

Deadline: concept notes may be submitted at any time; invited full proposals , 1 July and 1 December annually

Consortium grants support focussed, co-ordinated, collaborative research into specific issues that cannot be addressed through other NERC funding modes.
To promote flexibility and collaboration, consortium grants will blur the boundaries between existing NERC funding modes and will reduce the number of small research programmes managed by NERC.

Partnership Grants

Deadline: 1 July and 1 December annually

The scheme aims to facilitate and promote joint activities between academic researchers and partners in public or private sector organisations. The research must fall within the NERC science remit.

Project partners may be:

•private sector companies (non-UK companies must be able to demonstrate a significant manufacturing and research base in the UK);
•public sector organisations including local, regional and national authorities, regulators, non-departmental public bodies, non-governmental organisations and charities.

Grants amount to a minimum of £25,000 for directly incurred costs and usually last for up to three years. NERC will pay the standard proportion of 80 per cent of full economic costing. The total project partner contribution must be a minimum of 25 per cent of the total full economic cost of the project.

 

 

Conservation, Food, & Health Foundation

Project grants


Deadline: Twice a year

These grants are intended to assist in the conservation of natural resources, the production and distribution of food, and the improvement and promotion of health in the developing world. The foundation is especially interested in supporting projects that lead to the transfer of responsibility to the citizens of developing countries for managing and solving their own problems and developing the capacity of local organizations.

Preference will be given to projects, including research projects, in areas that tend to be underfunded. Areas of interest are:

  • Conservation
  • Food
  • Health

There is no policy concerning a minimum or maximum grant size; however, the average grant is approximately $15,000, and grants exceeding $25,000 are rarely awarded. Preference will be given to organizations located in developing countries or to developed country organizations whose activities are of direct and immediate benefit to developing countries.

 

Wellcome Trust

Public Engagement

Biomedical science is part of every day life. The Wellcome Trust wants to encourage people of all ages and from all walks of life to consider, question and debate the key issues of now and the future.

The Engaging Science grants programme offers over £3 million per year to support projects that aim to inform and inspire the public about biomedical science and its social contexts.

The funded activities also include directly-commissioned work and partnerships with other organisations to reach broader audiences and support innovative practice.

 

 

NESTA

Research

NESTA, The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, aims to pioneer ways of supporting and promoting talent, innovation and creativity in science, technology and the arts. They invest in a diverse range of people, including scientists, engineers, medical practitioners, educators, artists, writers, film-makers and musicians.

NESTA believes that by harnessing original and innovative ideas, the UK's economy can gain a greater competitive edge. But, as an investor, NESTA is not only commercial but also creative in its focus. For them, the cultural and social benefits of a project can be just as important as the financial.

Calls are for specific areas of research

 

British Sociological Association

Support Fund Awards

No Deadline

Eligible areas for funding include: travel and subsistence to attend conferences; thesis production; research and fieldwork. Applicants must be BSA members and resident in the UK. Awards are for a maximum of £200 in any one financial year, and applicants can only apply for up to three years.

 

BUPA

The Bupa Foundation funds a range of projects each year through:

 

 

Socio-Legal Studies Association

Grant Scheme

Deadline: 31 Oct each year

The Socio-Legal Studies Association invites applications for its small research grants. These are for members of the SLSA in furtherance of their research in all areas of socio-legal studies. The amount available for awards is £10,000 with individual grants of up to £2,000
NB: Only for members of the Association

 

 

The Dunhill Medical Trust

Grants

The Trust are interested in Ageing. As well as clinical areas, the Trust will also consider applications related to the more qualitative end of the research spectrum, such as research related to modifiable risk factors for well-being and health (e.g. environmental factors, diet, stress, exercise, social participation, recreation etc.).

Grants are in the region of £10K to £500K