Funding opportunity format
The funding opportunity involves two application stages: an open outline stage, followed by invited full applications. We are now at stage two: invited full applications.
Do not apply to this opportunity unless you have been invited to do so.
Development of proposals submitted at outline stage
It is expected that proposals will evolve between outline and full stages. This might include the addition or removal of staff or partners. ESRC places no limits on the revisions that may be made, but proposals should not be radically different in terms of what is proposed. It is acceptable to re-submit material from outline stage unchanged.
UKRI Funding Service
We are running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service. 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, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.
Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
To apply:
- Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this page.
- Confirm you are the project lead.
- 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
- Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the ‘How to apply’ section on this Funding finder page.
- Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
- Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Watch our research office webinars about the new UKRI Funding Service.
Deadline
We must receive your application by 7 November 2023 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.
Personal data
Processing personal data
ESRC, 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.
Publication of outcomes
ESRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at board and panel outcomes.
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Summary
Word limit: 500
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, so make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
- opinion-formers
- policymakers
- the public
- the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
- aims and objectives
- potential applications and benefits
- the impact it will have on enabling the use of UK census 2021/2 data for excellent social science-led research
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- visiting researcher
Only list one individual as project lead.
Find out more about UKRI’s new grant roles.
Primary discipline classification
Word count: 5
Question: Enter the primary discipline for this project.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Select the primary area of research from the list of disciplines below and enter into the text field:
- area studies
- demography
- development studies
- economics
- education
- environmental planning
- history
- human geography
- law and legal studies
- linguistics
- management and business studies
- political science and international studies
- psychology
- science and technology studies
- social anthropology
- social policy
- social work
- sociology
- tools, technologies and methods
This information is used to determine eligibility for ESRC funding and to assist in the selection of appropriate reviewers.
Core questions
Vision
Word limit: 500
What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how your proposed work:
- is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
- has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
- is timely given current trends, context, and needs
- impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment
In this section you should explain how the project will contribute to the achievement of the opportunity aim and at least one of the outcomes (stated above).
Approach
Word limit: 2,500
What are your plans to manage the proposed project?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
We expect you to show how your approach includes:
- a credible management plan including strategic and operational matters (proportionate to the scale and complexity of the activity)
- details of governance (proportionate to the scale and complexity of the activity); will an external advisory group be needed?
- a feasible project plan including a work plan, milestones and deliverables
- identification of risks and appropriate mitigation
- training and development of staff
Within this section you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant:
- use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
- insert each new image onto a new line
- provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
- files must be smaller than 8MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Proposals for projects that could endure beyond 2026 should outline, (1) how the project would be sustainable beyond the end of its ESRC grant without further funding from ESRC, (2) opportunities for continued ESRC funding and the benefit this would have, (3) projected ongoing running costs in either case.
Within this section we also expect you to discuss the main dependencies which could, for example, include requiring the statistical agencies to supply data. Proposals should, as far as possible, give assurance that these dependencies can be successfully negotiated. This should include providing a letter of support (see the ‘Project partners’ section, below).
Within the Approach section we also expect you to:
- state what will be delivered by the end of ESRC’s funding
- justify the requested grant start date
- outline the main stakeholder and beneficiary groups, and how these relationships will be created and managed
- where relevant, outline how you will support and facilitate effective integration and collaboration, between your project and other data services
Applicant and team capability to deliver
Word limit: 1,500
Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:
- the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
- the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
- the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
- contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
- a thorough understanding of the census data landscape, and (where relevant) of related issues such as privacy or statistical disclosure control
The word count for this section is 1,500 words: 1,000 words to be used for R4RI modules and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.
Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.
Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:
- contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
- the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
- contributions to the wider research and innovation community
- contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit
Additions
Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).
Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.
UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the Funding Service.
For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
Word limit: 500
What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:
- the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations
- how you will manage these considerations
All proposals should comply with the ESRC Framework for Research Ethics which includes guidance for applicants and links to related web resources.
You should address any legal or ethical considerations relating to your use of data here.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 750
What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:
- project staff
- significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
- any equipment that will cost more than £10,000
- any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
- all facilities and infrastructure costs
- all resources that have been costed as ‘exceptions’
Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:
- are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
- represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
- maximise potential outcomes and impacts
Project Partners
Word limit: 1,000
Provide details of any project partners’ contributions, and letters or emails of support from each named partner.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Download and complete the Project partner contributions template (DOCX, 52KB) then copy and paste only the table into the text box.
Upload the letters and or emails of support in this section. Each letter or email you provide should:
- confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
- clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
- describe any additional value that they bring to the project
Save letters or emails of support from each partner in a single PDF no bigger than 8MB. Unless specially requested, please do not include any personal data within the attachment.
For the file name, use the unique UKRI Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Project partner letters’.
If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.
The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the contributions template.
For audit purposes, we require formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Do not provide letters of support from host and project co-leads’ research organisations.
Data management
Word limit: 500
How will you manage and share data collected, acquired or processed through the proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Using the text box, you should provide a data management plan to:
If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
References
Word limit: 1,000
List the references you have used to support your application.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Include all references in this section, not in the rest of the application questions.
You should not include any other information in this section.
We advise you not to include hyperlinks, as assessors are not obliged to access the information they lead to or consider it in their assessment of your application.
If linking to web resources, to maintain the information’s integrity, include persistent identifiers (such as digital object identifiers) where possible.
You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.
