Funding opportunity

AHRC and BBC New Generation Thinkers 2026

• Opportunity status: Open
• Funders: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
• Co-funders: BBC
• Funding type: Other
• Publication date: 3 November 2025
• Opening date: 3 November 2025 9:00am UK time
• Closing date: 28 January 2026 4:00pm UK time

This scheme offers five early career researchers the opportunity to work with programme makers at BBC Radio 4. They will appear on a number of episodes and shadow the production process to understand how ideas get on air.

If selected, you will also take part in learning and development opportunities with AHRC around working with the media, engaging the public with research and how to work with policymakers.

You will be an up-and-coming early career researcher with a passion for sharing ideas with the largest possible audience.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for this opportunity.

Who can apply

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.

Who is eligible to apply

To apply for the New Generation Thinkers scheme, you must be:

• a UK resident
• over the age of 18
• currently working or studying at a UK research organisation that is eligible to receive funding from UKRI. See Eligibility of your organisation
• studying a relevant area of research. See ‘Your research history’

You must also be either:

• currently undertaking your first PhD and have made substantial progress in your research. For example, you may be within one year of submission
• within eight years of the award of your first PhD, excluding any period of career break such as parental leave, caring responsibilities, health reasons, or reasons consequent upon the COVID-19 pandemic
• within six years of your first academic appointment at an organisation that is eligible to receive funding from UKRI, excluding any period of career break such as parental leave, caring responsibilities, health reasons, or reasons consequent upon the COVID-19 pandemic. This must be a paid contract of employment, either full-time or part-time, which lists research or teaching as the primary function, including research assistantships

You do not need to have a permanent contract of employment to be eligible, provided you meet the conditions at the time of your application.

If you have applied to the scheme before, you may apply again provided you have never been selected as New Generation Thinkers in any given year.

Each person is only allowed to submit one application, and you must make clear in the title of your application which of the five programmes or units you want to be considered for. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and BBC retain the right to consider matching you to any one of the five programmes or units.

Who is not eligible to apply

You cannot apply if:

• you work for the BBC, AHRC or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
• you are a senior academic

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

• career breaks
• support for people with caring responsibilities
• flexible working
• alternative working patterns

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

What we're looking for

Scope

This scheme offers early career researchers the opportunity to work with programme makers at BBC Radio 4. If selected, you’ll be partnered with a BBC Radio 4 programme or BBC Audio unit where you will develop an understanding of how programmes on BBC Radio 4 are made. Additionally, you will take part in learning and development opportunities with the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) around working with the media, engaging the public with research and how to work with policymakers.

We are looking for applications from a diversity of backgrounds, research disciplines and institutions, particularly from candidates who can demonstrate:

• how one area of their research could make a strong, clearly expressed and engaging conversation on BBC radio. The scheme will match researchers with programmes or BBC units, so we are looking for discussion ideas for those programmes which draw upon your own research or your knowledge of trends in your subject area
• how this research could have the potential to either change public opinion or influence policy
• creativity, originality and the potential to talk and write about other areas within the arts and humanities and areas beyond their own specific research in an accessible and interesting manner, particularly to a wider audience
• that they are comfortable talking and writing about ideas from beyond their own research area in an accessible and interesting way
• a wide range of interests through their review and description of their current research
• high standards of scholarship: clear explanations in interesting, well-written, jargon-free language, that is editorially and stylistically suitable for a BBC audience

To get a good idea of what we’re looking for, we recommend you listen to the host programmes, all of which are available on BBC Sounds.

You can find arts reviews on Review Show Thursday evening episodes of Front Row on Radio 4. There are regular episodes from both Salford and Scotland hosted by Kirsty Wark and Nick Ahad.

Woman’s Hour is broadcast daily.

Free Thinking is now on BBC Radio 4 on Friday evenings with a more topical focus.

Inside Health runs in series across the year.

The Verb runs in series across the year.

To get a sense of writing for radio, you can find New Generation Thinkers (NGTs) who have written past episodes of The Essay for BBC Radio 3. For insights into past academic research, the Radio 4 Free Thinking programme offers a collection of archived episodes titled New Research.

The programmes or units that will be hosting the successful applicants, and the specialisms they are looking for this year (in future years these specialisms will vary), are:

• Free Thinking and Thinking Allowed which cover new research on how society works and welcome researchers who specialise in how the arts and humanities interact with sociology, history, political science and international studies
• Front Row which covers all areas of the arts but this year welcomes researchers who specialise in music
• Woman’s Hour which highlights women’s voices and women’s lives with topical conversations to inform, challenge and inspire. This year they are looking for researchers whose work sheds light on the lives of women in the 20th and 21st centuries. This opportunity is not limited to researchers who identify as women, but the focus of the research should be shedding light on women’s experiences in the past in the UK, around the world or both
• the Audio Science Unit based in Cardiff which produces a series of weekly shows for Radio 4 and the World Service. Programmes include Inside Health on Radio 4 and Health Check on World Service. This unit particularly encourages applications from researchers based in Wales and the south-west of England whose research looks at health
• the Arts Unit based in Salford which runs the language and performance programme The Verb. They also make episodes of Loose Ends and Front Row and Radio 3’s curated weekly selection of Words and Music. They are looking for researchers with a specialism in either creative writing or poetry. This unit particularly encourages applications from researchers based in the north of England

Your research must have a primary focus in the arts and humanities. Your research could be bringing together arts and humanities research with other non-AHRC funded disciplines, provided that you can demonstrate suitable links to the world of arts and humanities and that arts and humanities remains a primary focus.

Your application will be disqualified if the arts and humanities are not a primary focus of your research.

Our main topic areas are:

• archaeology
• classics
• cultural and museum studies
• development studies
• history
• information and communication technologies
• law and legal studies
• library and information studies
• philosophy
• political science and international studies
• theology, divinity and religion
• dance
• design
• drama and theatre studies
• media
• music
• languages and literature
• linguistics
• visual arts

We assess all applications on their own merits against the application criteria.

Duration

The duration of this award is 12 months. Across the year, being an NGT would involve around six days’ worth of time. This includes a face-to-face training day with the AHRC and online learning and development opportunities alongside working with the BBC, including pitching ideas and taking part in editorial meetings.

Successful Applicants will start in June or July 2026.

Funding available

There is no grant funding attached to being an NGT. AHRC and BBC will provide contributions or cover costs where appropriate as set out below.

The AHRC will provide learning and development opportunities for the five NGTs, the majority of which will be online. For any in-person opportunities, such as the communications training workshop on the 28 May 2026 , AHRC will cover the costs of travel and subsistence and will book any hotel accommodation needed.

The BBC will provide an induction day for each NGT with the programme or unit that is hosting them. The BBC will book train tickets for this where necessary and pay for a hotel room if the working hours of the programme fall outside office hours (as Woman’s Hour does, for example). The cost of lunch for this induction day could be reimbursed according to BBC rates. At the induction day, the mentor for each of the NGTs will set out the plans for the year and go through any BBC rates and opportunities to claim for travel and subsistence. The BBC has a set payment rate for any appearances on air, which might be in person or via Zoom, depending on the programme needs.

Branding

All NGTs will be expected to describe themselves as ‘AHRC and BBC New Generation Thinkers’. This can be written out in full as ‘Arts and Humanities Research Council and BBC New Generation Thinkers’ where space permits. It is expected that both organisations will be referenced where the scheme is mentioned, for example, in staff profiles on an institutional website, when posting on social media platforms, in any connected press release and when giving talks about the scheme.

All of the above will be outlined in the outcome letter sent to the successful candidates by AHRC and the BBC.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

How to apply

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

1. Confirm you are the project lead.
2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org
   Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service
• how research offices use the Funding Service

References

References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:

• references are easily identifiable by the assessors
• references are formatted as appropriate to your research
• persistent identifiers are used where possible

General use of hyperlinks

Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.

Deadline

AHRC must receive your application by 28 January 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.

You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data

Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with the BBC so that they can participate in the assessment process. For more information on how the BBC uses personal information, visit the BBC Policies and Guidelines.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email enquiries@ahrc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
• declaration of interest
• additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
• conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
• the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Publication of outcomes

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this opportunity at Board and panel outcomes.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Core team

Assign yourself as project lead.

You should only have one project lead.

Application questions

Personal eligibility

Word limit:100

You must be a UK resident, aged 18 or over and select one of the eligibility criteria listed.

Please select which of the following three categories describes you best, then enter ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ in the space provided:

• A: you are currently studying for your first PhD and have made considerable progress on your research, for example being within one year of submitting your thesis
• B: you are within eight years of the award of your first PhD, excluding any period of career break such as parental leave, caring responsibilities, health reasons, or reasons consequent upon the COVID-19 pandemic
• C: you are within six years of your first academic appointment at an organisation that is eligible to receive funding from UKRI, excluding any period of career break such as parental leave, caring responsibilities, health reasons, or reasons consequent upon the COVID-19 pandemic. This must be a paid contract of employment, either full-time or part-time, which lists research or teaching as the primary function, including research assistantships

Add a brief justification of how you meet the selected criteria.

You only need to meet one of the criteria above, though you may meet more.

Discipline classification: primary

Word limit: 5

Please provide the primary research area of your proposal.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

You must select from one of these research disciplines.

This information will be used for the purposes of processing your proposal and in the selection of appropriate assessors. The research disciplines are:

• archaeology
• area studies
• classics
• cultural and museum studies
• dance
• design
• development studies
• drama and theatre studies
• education
• history
• human geography
• information and communication technologies
• languages and literature
• law and legal studies
• library and information studies
• linguistics
• media
• music
• philosophy
• political science and international studies
• social anthropology
• theology, divinity and religion
• visual arts

Discipline classification: secondary

Word limit: 50

Please describe using keywords, the research area of your proposal and where relevant the approach, time period or geographical area.

Your current research activity

Word limit: 250

Briefly describe what you are researching and its broader relevance to a public audience

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a brief explanation of the current arts and humanities research you are undertaking.

The assessors are looking for research that is:

• new, unique, interesting or challenges current thinking
• evidenced, scholarly and well written for a public audience

Your research history

Word Limit: 250

List the academic institutions where you have been based, the years you were there and the research you undertook.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Include all the academic institutions for whom you have carried out research. Start with the most recent; describe what you did and how you did it, providing any interesting outcomes. You should set this out in the same way you might set out a CV.

The assessors are particularly looking for:

• a breadth of research interest
• high standards of scholarship

Discussion ideas

Word Limit: 550

In this section, please provide two discussion ideas for the one programme or unit you are applying for (listed above) which draw upon your own research or your knowledge of trends in your subject area.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Keep in mind this will be for a public audience. The assessors are looking for ideas that:

• will engage and excite the public
• explain the relevance of your research and what the findings mean in an accessible and engaging way
• demonstrate creative and original thinking with personality and flair
• fit with the programme’s editorial (listen to recent broadcasts to familiarise yourself with your chosen programme)

Write a review

Word Limit: 250

Review a new film, play, novel, book of poetry, exhibition, or any other cultural event of which you have personal and recent experience.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

This should be aimed at a public audience and must be on a topic and discipline separate from your research.

Write the review as if you were going to read it on air. To get a sense of writing for radio you can find Essays broadcast by Radio 3.

Remember that many radio programmes are interested in the link between arts and ideas so your review will need to explore ideas within or prompted by the work and not simply discuss its apparent quality.

The assessors are particularly looking for:

• links between arts and ideas, where you explore ideas within or prompted by the work
• comfort with communicating ideas outside of your research area in an interesting, well written and engaging manner
• editorial and stylistic suitability for a BBC Radio audience

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Stage one: assessment

Before we assess an application, we will check it for:

• eligibility
• research subject

Applications that do not adhere to the criteria for eligibility and research subject will be office rejected and will not progress any further. Incomplete, obscene, or fraudulent entries will also be disqualified at this stage.

We will share the entirety of the content of the applications, including applicant contact details, with the BBC and Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) panellists via the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. We may also share anonymised equality, diversity and inclusion details with the BBC.

The BBC will perform an initial sift to assess the discussion ideas and review tasks. Any applications that do not meet the discussion ideas and review tasks assessment criteria will be office rejected at this stage.

Panel members from the AHRC and the BBC will then jointly assess all remaining applications against the assessment criteria and assign an initial grade which will be discussed at a joint assessment panel. The result of the assessment panel will be to shortlist 25 to 30 candidates who will be invited to a workshop on 7 May 2026.

The panel chair will ensure that stated processes are adhered to and that all applications are treated in a consistent manner. The chair is also responsible for facilitating the joint panel discussions to agree on the final candidates to attend the workshop.

Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications, we are not able to provide individual feedback if you are unsuccessful.

Stage two: workshop

Following the joint panel meeting, 25 to 30 applicants will be chosen to attend a workshop on 7 May 2026. Please make sure to keep this date free as an alternative will not be offered.

At your workshop event, you will:

• learn from BBC staff how they commission, produce and present radio and programmes
• workshop programme ideas with the help of other candidates and producers of the radio programmes hosting residencies this year
• take part in interactive practice sessions to showcase programme ideas and demonstrate your ability to communicate with the listening audience
• have the chance to speak to AHRC staff about the scheme, AHRC’s involvement and UKRI more widely
• hear from previous New Generation Thinkers as they share their experiences and talk about the impact of being part of the scheme

Stage three: final panel

The Radio 4 team will monitor progress of the workshop attendees and form a panel to select the New Generation Thinkers for 2026.

The workshop and the selection process will be observed by representatives of AHRC, and the final decisions will be made in consultation with AHRC.

The panel will use the same criteria to decide who is shortlisted, assessing their verbal communication skills as well as written.

We expect that this will happen within one week of the workshop.

Feedback will be shared with workshop attendees as quickly as possible following the workshop and final panel.

Final applicants

The successful applicants chosen from the workshops will become AHRC and BBC New Generation Thinkers for 2026. They will:

• attend training sessions run by AHRC in person and online. This will include a media training course, a photography and filming session and an evening dinner. You must attend these to be part of the scheme. The training will take part in London and AHRC will cover the costs of the accommodation and any travel and subsistence
• spend a day shadowing the host programme seeing a live studio recording, finding out about pitching ideas and shaping interviews and discussions. The BBC will pay for travel costs for this
• be assigned a programme mentor. Across the year, candidates will liaise with their programme mentor to pitch discussion ideas with the aim of contributing to programmes three times
• be invited to showcase their research and trail their programme idea at the BBC and AHRC events
• work with a producer on a piece of writing towards the end of their year which they will record for broadcast on radio
• have the chance to appear at AHRC events, including the opportunity to apply for funding to participate in the Being Human Festival
• work with AHRC on appearances in the wider media
• take part in a half day workshop on engaging policymakers, delivered by the Institute for Government
• exchange knowledge amongst the cohort and share information about experiences with the wider academic community

The judging process

The judges’ decision is final. We will not enter into any correspondence regarding the judges’ decision.

The BBC and AHRC reserve the right to change one or more of the judges if necessary.

The BBC and AHRC reserve the right to disqualify applicants at any stage. We might do this, for example, if we find that:

• you are ineligible
• you misrepresented yourself in your application
• any part of your research background is fraudulent (for example, due to plagiarism)
• you bring the scheme, AHRC or the BBC into disrepute

This list is not exhaustive.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard.

For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI.

Sharing data with co-funders

We will need to share the applications (including any personal information that it contains) with our partners at the BBC and members of our peer review panel so that they can participate in the assessment process. This will be delivered by giving them read-only access to the applications submitted on the UKRI Funding Service.

For more information on how the BBC uses personal information, visit BBC Policies and guidelines.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• personal eligibility
• your current research activity
• your research history
• discussion ideas
• write a review

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Contact details

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

The helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility, content or remit of a funding opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your application please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact enquiries@ahrc.ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org
Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries more efficiently, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.

Additional info

Research and innovation impact

Impact can be defined as the long-term intended or unintended effect research and innovation has on society, economy and the environment; to individuals, organisations, and the wider global population.

Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) will organise a mid-point check-in with the successful New Generation Thinkers. At the end of the year AHRC will organise online meetings with each of the New Generation Thinkers to explore the impact of being on the scheme and the outcomes from the year. AHRC and BBC will keep in touch to capture any ongoing impact from being part of the scheme.

All of the above will be outlined in the joint outcome letter sent to the successful candidates by the AHRC and BBC.

Webinar for potential applicants

We will hold the following two webinars to provide more information about the funding opportunity and offer a chance to ask questions:

• webinar 1: 19 November 2025 2.00 to 3.00pm UK time
• webinar 2: 2 December 2025 12:30 to 1:30pm UK time

Register for webinar 1

Register for webinar 2

BBC workshop

We will inform you by email if you have been selected for the workshop stage.
The workshop will take place in London on 7 May 2026 from 9:30am to 5:30pm UK time.

We may be required to change the details of this workshop, for example in the event of travel disruption. This may require the workshop to be held on a different date or to take place remotely. If this does happen, we will let you know as soon as possible.

We will advise the final five New Generation Thinkers by mid-May 2025.

AHRC’s media training, photography and evening event will be held on 28 May 2026.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays
• disruptive working patterns and conditions
• the loss of ongoing work
• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Supporting documents

Equality Impact Assessment (PDF, 92KB)