External research funding


Browse external upcoming and open research funding calls

 

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Contact your Head of Academic Unit to get in principle approval and discuss your research idea.


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Contact our experienced Research Development Managers who will guide you through the application process. Read and follow our procedure for submitting research funding applications. 


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Browse funding opportunites below to find a grant to suit you and discuss with your Research Development Manager. 

Visit our funding opportunities calendar to view upcoming deadlines. 

 

Internal deadline for all research funding applications

The Research Development Team requires a near-final draft of the main application text and an itemised budget a minimum of 5 working days in advance of the application deadline. Applicants are expected to have worked with their Academic Manager (or delegate for Research) and Research Development Manager well before this closing date to ensure they have support developing the application drafts and budget. 

Full information on the procedure is available here.

Information for non-staff applicants 

All PhD students must contact the PhD Academy with a near-final draft of their research funding application a minimum of 10 working days before the external funder deadline. UKRI-funded PhD students applying for external research funding opportunities must contact the PhD Academy first before contacting the Research Development Team.  

We are unable to provide proposal review or development support to external applicants who are not current LSE staff or holders of a visiting appointment. R&I will provide costing support and ensure institutional approvals are completed in line with LSE policy for these applicants. Prospective applicants should therefore work closely with their main academic point of contact at LSE, such as their fellowship supervisor, mentor, and academic unit and research manager who will help with peer review, proposal development guidance, and feedback throughout the application process.

Guidance on applying for UKRI funding

For guidance on applying for UKRI funding opportunities, please visit our RISe Knowledge Hub. Here you will find information including how to navigate The Funding Service, developing your Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI), and adhering to best practice in research.

Upcoming EU research funding calls

Please note the following deadlines for applicants to inform the Research Development Team of their intent to apply to the Horizon Europe calls with September deadlines: 

  • Wednesday 1 July 2026 - deadline to inform your relevant Senior Research Development Manager of the intention to lead a Consortium bid (roughly 2.5 months before the funder deadlines).
  • Saturday 1 August 2026 - deadline to inform relevant Senior Research Development Manager of the intention to participate on a Consortium bid (roughly 1.5 months before the funder deadlines) 

Please also note the deadlines to finalise your application for the September round of Horizon Europe deadlines: 

  • 10 working days before the funder deadline - deadline to finalise LSE and collaborator staff time allocations and WP contributions. 
  • 5 working days before the funder deadline - deadline to have the finalised budget (developed together with R&I support) and the near-final application draft ready for HoD approval (with minor changes to the proposal still possible after this date) 

The deadlines above apply to the Horizon Europe Pillar II (Cluster) calls, listed in the table below, and exclude the ERC Advanced Grant, ERC Plus Grant and MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships deadlines.  

table
Cluster  Upcoming deadline 
Cluster 4 (Digital, Industry and Space) 3 September 2026
Cluster 1 (Health) 15 September; 22 September 2026
Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility) 15 September 2026
Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment 2026) 17 September 2026
Cluster 2 (Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society 2026) 23 September 2026
Cluster 3 (Civil Security for Society 2026) 5 November 2026 

Join the LSE EU Teams site for information and guidance on applying for EU research funding.

Other upcoming research funding calls 

Opportunity Funder Internal Deadline
International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2027 British Academy  30 September 2026
The programme aims to support projects which engage with questions concerning the relationship between expertise, public understanding and policy delivery internationally, and highlight the importance of collaboration between communities of practice, disciplines, capacities and borders. Find out more

Internal deadline: Wednesday 30 September 2026

Funder deadline: Wednesday 7 October 2026
Starting Grant  ERC 7 October 2026
The ERC Starting Grant supports excellent Principal Investigators who are starting or have recently started their own independent research team or research programme. The grant provides up to €1.5 million for research projects lasting up to 60 months, with the possibility of requesting additional funding of up to €1 million, or up to €2 million for eligible researchers. Find out more.

Internal deadline: Wednesday 7 October 2026

Funder deadline: Wednesday 14 October 2026
Consolidator Grant  ERC 5 January 2027
ERC Consolidator Grants support excellent mid-career researchers to consolidate their independence by establishing a research team and delivering ambitious frontier research. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 

Internal deadline: Tuesday 5 January 2027

Funder deadline: Tuesday 12 January 2027 
Synergy Grant ERC 4 May 2027
Synergy Grants are designed to enable small groups of prominent researchers to jointly tackle highly ambitious scientific problems that no single individual or team could solve alone. These awards provide Up to €10 million for a normal duration of up to 6 years. Find out more

Internal deadline: Tuesday 4 May 2027 

Funder deadline: Tuesday 11 May 2027

Open calls and various deadlines (alphabetical order by Funder)

 Funding schemeFunderDeadline
Applicant-led: Explore Awards  ESRC Open
Apply for funding to advance knowledge through ambitious, curiosity-driven social science. ESRC is looking for creative, innovative and bold proposals within ESRC’s remit that advance knowledge by pushing disciplinary, methodological or conceptual boundaries. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Applicant-led: Challenge Awards ESRC Open
Apply for funding to bring people, expertise and ideas together in ambitious, larger-scale programmes. Challenge awards tackle major research, economic and societal challenges, generating impactful new knowledge and innovation. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 

Applicants should reach out to the Research Development Team in advance as senior strategic approval may be required. 
Applicant-led: Grow Awards  ESRC Open 
Apply for funding to build the skills, experience and confidence to make a step-change in your research career. Grow awards support individuals at key career points to develop new capabilities or pivot in a new direction, strengthening the long-term capacity, adaptability and resilience of the UK’s social science research base. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
React Awards ESRC Open
Apply for responsive funding to generate time-critical research to support UK policymakers or frontline practitioners in public services. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for ESRC funding and have a confirmed partnership with at least one public sector organisation that can action your outputs within six months.

The funder guidance for this call is available here. Interested applicants should also review the LSE briefing note on this call including guidance on the impact of the partnership model and output timescale on the design of the project proposal.  

ESRC will fund 80% of the project’s full economic cost (FEC). Awards can last up to six months and must start within a month of funding confirmation.

This is an open call for outline applications and is subject to the Research Development Team's 5-working day policy for research funding applications. 
Responsive mode: standard research grants AHRC Various
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) standard research grants support well-defined collaborative projects across the arts and humanities in areas covered by our remit. The maximum duration of this award is five years. Projects can be between £300,000 and £1.5 million. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Responsive mode: curiosity awards AHRC Various 
Flexible awards to fund fundamental research that leads to new research agendas, networking activity and idea generation, which enables the development of further research opportunities and new research agendas. Funding is available for projects up to five years in duration and £100,000 in cost. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Responsive mode: catalyst awards AHRC Various 
Awards to support researchers without prior experience of leading a significant research project to accelerate their trajectory as independent researchers, to unlock their potential, build leadership and convenor experience. Funding for projects up to five years in duration and £300,000 in cost. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Small Research Grants British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Various 
The scheme provides up to £10,000 to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. Funds may be used 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. Applications for collaborative or individual projects are equally welcome under this scheme. Applications from international groups of scholars are welcome, provided there is a UK-based scholar as lead applicant. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Research Networks COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Open
A unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and to embark on new European perspectives. A continuous open call for proposals is used to attract the best proposals for new COST actions. Support will cover the costs of networking activities such as meetings (e.g. travel, subsistence, local organiser support), conferences, workshops, short-term scientific exchange, training schools, publications and dissemination activities. Funding for up to 4 years. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Small Grants  Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Various 
Small Grants (£3k - £7) promote and support interaction between the UK and Japan. Daiwa Foundation Awards (£7 - £15k) focus on collaborative projects that enable British and Japanese partners to work together. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Daphne Jackson Fellowships Daphne Jackson Trust  Open
Daphne Jackson Fellowships are now available to arts and humanities researchers and offer academics the opportunity to return to research following a career break of two years or more when taken for family, caring or health reasons. The Fellowships, which will be supported by AHRC, are typically held for two years on a part-time basis, in a UK university. The Fellowships are flexible and include a tailored training programme designed to update the fellow’s skills and knowledge to support them in their return to research. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Responsive mode: open fellowships EPSRC Various 
Our fellowships are a prestigious individual award aimed at ambitious and talented researchers and technical professionals who wish to develop, expand or establish a programme of research. Open fellowships are designed to be flexible and enable you to design a programme around your individual needs, with freedom to design a package that fits your career ambitions, research needs, and personal and professional development requirements. These fellowships are for a duration of five years with no limit to the value of the grant. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Responsive mode: network grant EPSRC Open
Network grants aim to develop new interdisciplinary research communities and topics by supporting interaction between researchers and relevant science, technology and industrial groups. We expect networks to lead to new collaborative multidisciplinary research applications in areas we support. Some may develop into virtual centres of excellence. Network grants are expected to last for no longer than three years and there is no limit on the value of the grant. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Responsive mode: new investigator award EPSRC Open
New investigator awards should have a single research vision with clearly defined objectives and outcomes. Complex, multi-faceted research projects with many objectives are not appropriate to the new investigator award. There is no limit on the length of your project. However, new investigator awards are typically one to three years in duration. There is no limit on the value of the grant. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Responsive mode: standard research grants EPSRC Various 
You can apply for a standard research grant in any field of research relevant to our remit. There is no limit on the length of your project or value of your grant. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Responsive mode: new investigator grants ESRC Open
This opportunity supports researchers at the start of their careers to enable their transition to become independent researchers through gaining experience of managing and leading research projects and teams. It also provides an opportunity for them to support their own skill development, and that of any research staff employed on the grant. The duration of this award is up to five years and the cost of the project can range from £100,000 to £300,000. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Responsive mode: research grants ESRC Various 
This opportunity funds researcher-driven basic, applied, and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics in ESRC’s remit. This includes standard research projects, methodological development, large-scale surveys or other infrastructures. The duration of this award is up to five years and the cost of the project can range from £350,000 to £1 million. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Responsive mode: secondary data analysis initiative ESRC Open
Apply for funding to support research that exploits existing data resources for social and economic research, created by ESRC or other agencies. We encourage partnerships with non-academic stakeholders to ensure generation of high-impact, policy and practitioner-relevant research. The duration of this award is up to two years and the cost of the project can be up to £300,000. Please click HERE for more information on how to apply. 
Training bursaries for social scientists  ESRC Open
To enable staff in the UK social science community engaged in research, teaching research methods or supervising research to update their research skills. 50 bursaries of up to £1k available. Bursaries are to cover National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) course fees. Please click HERE for more information on how to apply. 
Research Project Grants Leverhulme Trust Various 
To provide financial support for innovative and original research projects of high quality and potential, the choice of theme and the design of the research lying entirely with the applicant. Research and Innovation encourages applicants to submit outline bids six months before the full bid deadline, in order to allow for Leverhulme to assess the outline bid, and for the applicant to prepare a high quality full bid, if encouraged to do so. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Work with US-based researchers on environmental science research NERC/NSF Open
Apply for funding to work with US-based researchers on an environmental science proposal.Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between NERC and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Collaborative research proposals may be submitted in any disciplinary or interdisciplinary subject where the majority falls within the remit of both NERC and NSF GEO or BIO. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Research, Development, and Analysis Fund Nuffield Foundation Various
The Research, Development and Analysis fund is for projects to inform the design and operation of social policy and practice across Nuffield’s three core domains of Education, Welfare and Justice. Awarded grants are usually between £10,000 and £500,000. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Co-funding Research Projects  UKRI/NSF Open
The UK Research Councils, in collaboration with the Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Directorate of the US National Science Foundation, invites applications for funding under their lead agency agreement. This supports interdisciplinary research of mutual interest in any area of research that falls within the funders’ remit. Projects between £50,000- £1,000,000 (depending on the applicant’s career level) will be funded according to the relevant UK Research Council’s funding rules. Funding for the US part of the project must comply with NSF’s normal funding rules for unsolicited proposals. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Collaborate with researchers in Norway UKRI Open
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Research Council of Norway (RCN) have signed a Money Follows Cooperation agreement to reduce barriers to cross-border collaboration. This enables eligible UK principal investigators to submit collaborative applications with co-investigators employed by Norwegian institutions. General conditions and budget available will differ depending on the funding opportunity to which an application is being submitted. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Collaborate with researchers in Brazil  UKRI Open
UKRI and FAPESP have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support collaborative applications. UKRI and FAPESP will co-fund applications submitted to participant UKRI councils’ responsive mode funding opportunities via selected funding opportunities. Collaborative research applications led by UK applicants, with São Paulo-based researchers, may be submitted in any single or cross-disciplinary area which fits within the remit of the participating research councils. General conditions for applications, including deadlines and budget available, will differ depending on the funding opportunity to which an application is being submitted. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Renewel scheme for current Future Leaders UKRI Open
Successful applicants to the Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) scheme have the opportunity to extend their four-year fellowship by up to a further three years. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Wellcome Early-Career Awards  Wellcome Trust Various
This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, they will deliver shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 
Wellcome Career Development Awards  Wellcome Trust Various 
This scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers from any discipline who have the potential to be international research leaders. They will develop their research capabilities, drive innovative programmes of work and deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. Please click HERE for further information. 
Wellcome Discovery Awards  Wellcome Trust  Various 
This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. Awards can be up to 8 years with the average size being £3.5 million. Please click HERE for further information on how to apply. 

 

 

 

Further guidance