Our postdoctoral research associate Dr Duygu Bektik has complied the following list of organisations/funding bodies that offer small research grants (under £30k).
Engineering education grant scheme
https://www.theiet.org/resources/teachers/grant-scheme.cfm?
The Engineering Education Grant Scheme provides support for UK-based educational projects that aim to increase engineering knowledge in young people aged 5 – 19.
The Engineering Education Grant Scheme (EEGS) aims to engage young people aged 5-19 in learning about engineering and to develop the professional skills of those involved in supporting STEM learning and careers awareness. The EEGS also supports projects that improve wider engineering literacy.
Any organisation capable of developing and delivering UK-based educational activities is eligible to apply, including schools, IET or IMechE members and STEM organisations.
There are two levels of funding available. Awards of up to £5000 (inclusive of any applicable VAT) are available for standard applications to the fund, and up-to-four awards of £15,000 are available each year.
ALDinHE (Association for Learning Development in Higher Education)
http://www.aldinhe.ac.uk/research.html
Each year, ALDinHE allocates a small pot of funding for innovative research projects that focus on specific aspects of Learning Development.
To apply for a grant, please contact Maria Kukhareva maria.kukhareva@beds.ac.uk
(We e-mailed them and learned they will be advertising the funding in spring-summer via LDHEN, for the projects to commence in autumn.)
SEDA (Staff and educational development association)
https://www.seda.ac.uk/research-small-grants
These SEDA small grants are to support research and evaluation in staff and educational development with the goal of continued improvement in the quality and understanding of educational development practices.
Applicants might like to consider issues for educational development with regard to teaching qualifications and accreditation, technology-enhanced learning, HE in FE, or internationalisation.
£1000 for research into educational development practices.
The Grant may be used to pay for time release, administrative support, equipment, travel or attendance at a SEDA conference or other event to disseminate the outcomes. Whilst the sum awarded may seem small, experience suggests that recipients have welcomed the external recognition for the activity they want to carry out.
AHRC – Research Networking Scheme
Up to £45k – 2 years
Support forums for the discussion and exchange of ideas on a specified thematic area, issue or problem.
Open – Available all year
Children In Need –small grant
Up to £10,000 per year
1 – 3 years
Any research which makes a difference to disadvantaged children and young people, including those with behavioural or psychological difficulties.
Available all year
RGS-IBG Small Research Grants
http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Grants/Research/Small+Research+Grants.htm
The Society offers several awards of up to £3,000 to individuals for original desk and/or field based research in any area of geography. Preference will be given to early career researchers.
Deadline: 18 January (each year)
The Jasmin Leila Award of £250, and the Rob Potter Award of £1,500, will be given as a supplement to one of the projects supported under the Society’s Small Research Grant scheme, or as an independent award.
BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants
https://www.britac.ac.uk/ba-leverhulme-small-research-grants
These awards, up to £10,000 in value and tenable for up to 24 months, are provided to cover the cost of the expenses arising from a defined research project.
Grants are tenable for between 1 and 24 months.
Funds are available to facilitate initial project planning and development; to support the direct costs of research, and to enable the advancement of research through workshops or conferences, or visits by or to partner scholars.
WELLCOME Small Grants in Humanities and Social Science
https://wellcome.ac.uk/funding/small-grants-humanities-and-social-science
Usually up to £30,000
Duration of funding: Flexible, usually 6 to 12 months but can be longer
Postdoctoral research, leading a research programme, returning to research
There are no deadlines for this scheme – you can apply online at any time.
National Lottery Awards for All
https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/programmes/england/awards-for-all-england
National Lottery Awards for All offers funding from £300 to £10,000 to support what matters to people and communities.
National Lottery Awards for All has three funding priorities and you must be able to tell us in your application how your project or activity will:
- bring people together and build strong relationships in and across communities
- improve the places and spaces that matter to communities
- enable more people to fulfil their potential by working to address issues at the earliest possible stage.
No deadline, ongoing.
UKCISA
https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Research–Policy/Grants-research/UKCISA-grants-for-research
The scheme started in 2015 and now runs annually. Applications for grants usually open in May and close in early August. The research needs to be completed by the following July.
SRHE
https://www.srhe.ac.uk/research/SRHE_newer_researchers.asp
Each year the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) invites applications from Newer Researchers to enter a research proposal for a small scale project under an SRHE Prize scheme.
BAICE (seedcorn and travel grants)
https://baice.ac.uk/baice-funding/seedcorn-and-research-network-grants/
Two kinds of research grants of up to £5,000 are available to researchers at UK-based universities in areas that align with BAICE’s aims to:
- promote research, policy and development in all aspects of international and comparative education; and
- encourage the growth and development of international and comparative studies in education.
For both grants we encourage applications that involve junior and early career researchers (including doctoral students) in the proposed activities.
ESRC has a ‘Festival of Social Sciences’ that gives £1000 to host an impact event.