Apply for funding to be the UK National Coordinator for the European Social Survey and deliver the data collection for Round 13 and 14.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding.
The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2,310,000. ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC (exceptions including subcontracted social surveys are funded at 100% FEC).
Funding is available for a maximum of 48 months, from August 2026.
This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility, and organisations who are based overseas. Check if your organisation is eligible.
As ESRC is a lead funder for this opportunity, international researchers can apply as ‘project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))’. You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners.
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:
UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.
The aims of this opportunity are:
ESRC’s objectives for the successful applicant will be to:
By delivering the objectives ESS will support the delivery of ESRC’s Data Infrastructure Strategy. In particular within the following focus areas: building and sustaining a foundation and impact and public benefit.
Applications should clearly outline how their project objectives and work packages contribute to the above ESRC funding objectives for ESS. Applications will be assessed and prioritised based on how well they deliver the funding objectives, opportunity specification and ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,098KB).
Each ESS ERIC member or observer must appoint a National Coordinator (NC) and a survey agency to undertake the ESS in their country. The NC and survey agency may be located in a single institution.
The successful applicant(s) will be appointed UK National Coordinator for two rounds (48 months) and be responsible for delivering two rounds of data collection (Round 13 and 14). Please read the ‘Survey implementation and data collection’ section carefully for requirements regarding subcontracted data collection.
Applications should be based on the details outlined in this opportunity and the ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,098KB), this will include NC activities and fieldwork for Round 13 and anticipated NC activities and fieldwork for Round 14. Upon publication of the Round 14 survey specification (anticipated late 2027), should major changes in the requirements of the National Coordinator or survey data collection occur, ESRC will work with the NC and ESS ERIC to ensure the necessary support to meet the ESS requirements are provided.
As required, before the start of Round 14, ESRC will conduct a proportionate review of the delivery of the ESS in the UK, to ensure the objectives agreed through this opportunity are being delivered. ESRC retains the right to make changes in line with the terms and conditions of the award if required. It is anticipated that significant changes would only be made in the following circumstances:
This funding will support National Coordination for Rounds 13 and 14, including:
This funding will also support survey data collection, including the planned activities for Round 13 and anticipated activities for Round 14.
A minimum of £200,000 of the funding is to be used for National Coordination. You must describe how you will balance funding for fieldwork and National Coordination costs, as well as justify why this is appropriate. The primary objective of this work is to deliver the ESS in the UK as per the ESS Specification. ESRC’s next priority objective is to further support dissemination, engagement, promoting use and impact. See ‘Dissemination: promoting use and impact’ for further details.
As an investment from the ESRC infrastructure team, academic research using the data is not within scope of this funding opportunity, for further details on this please see the ‘What we will fund’ and ‘What we will not fund’ section.
Activities funded from ESRC’s contribution must be used for the delivery or improvement of the study as a data infrastructure for use by the wider research community. However, applicants are welcome to conduct aligned activities using different funding sources, these alternatively funded aligned activities can be discussed in the application where they provide additional value to ESS in the UK.
You should outline why your decided approach is the best way of delivering the ESS in the UK.
For the following two sections (National Coordination and Survey implementation and data collection) information is drawn heavily from the ESS Round 13 Specification, these are highlighted to support understanding of key requirements. However, please refer to the full ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,098KB) when writing your application for full details.
For planned activities for Round 14, you should utilise the information provided in the ESS Round 13 survey specification. Upon publication of ESS Round 14 survey specification, should major changes in the requirements of the National Coordinator or survey data collection occur ESRC will work with the NC and ESS ERIC to ensure the necessary support to meet the ESS requirements are provided.
It is anticipated that the NC will need to spend approximately 8 months full-time equivalent on their activities in each round (24 months), this is dependent on involvement in previous rounds and approaches taken. The NC can be an individual or a team.
The NC will:
The key roles of the NC are to coordinate activities of the ESS ERIC at a national level and ensure national compliance with the ESS specification for that round. Some of these tasks may be performed by external survey agencies or other suppliers. The NCs are expected to contribute to strategic discussions about the ESS methodology and detailed discussions on ESS questionnaire design. Broadly the NC is responsible for survey implementation, communication and dissemination. The NC work is broadly spread across 4 stages:
The tasks the NC must perform or arrange others to perform under their supervision are:
Detailed breakdown of these tasks can be found in full in the ESS Round 13 survey specification .
Please refer to the full ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,098KB) when writing your application. All activities must be completed in line with the ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,098KB).
ESRC also require the ESS NC to produce budget estimates for proceeding rounds as ESS specifications are released at ESRC’s request.
The expected deliverables for both the National Coordination and the survey data collection are the following data files:
And the following documents:
All activities should be conducted to the timeframe outlined in the ESS Specification for each round. For Round 13 the key dates are:
The primary role of the NC is implementation of required ESS procedures to enable high-quality data collection as outlined in the ESS Specification. Certain tasks will be carried out by the NC, independent of any survey agency, while others can be carried out in cooperation with the survey agency.
The ESS survey is made up of a core survey (asked each round) and two rotating modules.
The rotating modules for Round 13 are interdisciplinary perspectives on social (dis)connectedness in Europe and welfare attitudes in Europe: social security in insecure times. Round 14 modules are to be determined following an open call for applications in 2026. NCs can request to include up to five country-specific items in each round subject to sign off by the ESS.
Round 13 and 14 of the ESS will collect data via self-completion survey (web and paper) from a random probability sample, representative of all persons aged 15 and over resident within private dwellings, regardless of their nationality, citizenship or language. An effective sample size of at least of 1500 is required.
ESRC offers applicants two options for conducting the survey data collection for Round 13 and 14. The options are as follows:
For applicants opting for the first option above, in line with UKRI standard terms and conditions (RGC 9.1) and the ESRC research funding guide, all subcontracted social surveys must be subject to normal competitive purchasing principles. ESRC requires that surveys over £10,000 (£8,333 exclusive of VAT) are subject to external competition to ensure best value for money through competitive purchasing processes. Where surveys are expected to exceed £25,000 (£20,830 exclusive of VAT) the research organisation’s full tendering procedures must be followed.
You must ensure sufficient time is built into the project timeline to enable a competitive tender process.
You should seek out quotations for a minimum of three potential fieldwork providers and provide these estimates in the ‘Resources and cost justification’ section. Otherwise, you must explain and evidence why this is not possible, and demonstrate that you have considered alternative approaches to procuring all, or some, aspects of the fieldwork.
ESRC reserves the right to reject applications whose subcontracted social surveys are not subject to external competition, or do not provide the necessary evidence prior to expert review.
Where survey data collection is subcontracted, the NC will be appointed as an agent of the ESS ERIC. The organisation must commit to working with ESS ERIC to set up the agent agreement as part of the organisation’s support for the project. Under this arrangement, the supply of fieldwork services will be VAT zero rated and the ESS ERIC will issue a certificate to the fieldwork agency.
Therefore, net (not including VAT) subcontracted data collection costs should be submitted. You may contact datainfrastructure@esrc.ukri.org to access a template of the agent agreement before submitting your application. We strongly recommend engaging with relevant parts of your organisation early to make sure the agent agreement can be set up. As part of your application, you should also outline your plan in case the agent agreement cannot be implemented and how you would deliver the core requirements of this funding opportunity (see application questions). Please contact datainfrastructure@esrc.ukri.org for any questions.
Additionally, where data collection is subcontracted, procurement must occur separately for each round of data collection.
Survey agencies must be capable and ideally have track record of conducting national probability-based surveys to the highest standard via self-completion.
The key tasks of the survey agency are preparing, conducting and monitoring of data collection and processing data and preparing deliverables as described in the ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,098KB). In some cases the survey agency may also be involved in sample design. For some tasks, there shall be overlap between the responsibilities of the NC and the Survey Agency.
The tasks of the survey agency may include, but are not limited to are:
Detailed breakdown of these tasks and requirement for survey agencies can be found in full in the ESS Round 13 survey specification.
Please refer to the full ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,098KB) when writing your application. All activities must be completed in line with the ESS specification.
For Round 13 NCs will have to make key decisions on the data collection approach, most notably:
Targeted non-response must involve making additional contact attempts to the targeted subgroup of non-respondents in at least one of the following ways:
Decisions should be based on existing evidence in the UK, national factors and experience of the Round 12 self-completion approach.
You will be assessed on your capability to make the above decisions.
Initial plans should be outlined and justification provided, to demonstrate capability. To support applicants an update on the progress of Round 12 self-completion data collection can be found in the ‘Additional Information’ section. Plans outlined will be updated in the light of Round 12 once results are available.
NCs will be required to analyse the results of the Round 12 self-completion survey. They should assess which population subgroups, if any, were underrepresented in the data collected after applying design weights to correct for uneven selection probabilities . Targeted nonresponse for the population sub-groups identified as expecting to be underrepresented will be required.
Experiments are also encouraged in Round 13 data collection. Areas for possible experimentation are comparing sequential and concurrent approaches, as well as experimenting with communication materials, including:
Incentive experiments include:
If applicants plan to conduct experiments in Round 13, details and justification must be included in the application. Approval of experiments is subject to consultation with ESS ERIC or Core Scientific Team.
ESS ERIC are also exploring enabling data linkage on ESS Round 13 data subject to successful piloting in Round 12. Applicants are welcome to consider data linkage as part of their application. However, this is subject to ESS ERIC approval following pilots.
Full details on approaches, targeted non-response and experiments can be found in the ESS Round 13 survey specification (PDF, 1,098KB).
ESS is fundamentally a collaboration. It is therefore essential that the successful applicant meaningfully engages in collaboration to:
The ESS NC is expected to:
The application should outline any planned collaborations and its benefits, for example with other ESRC investments or the wider social science community. In addition, how the NC expects to work with the ESS ERIC to support the development and successful delivery of the project in accordance with the specification.
As a community resource, the NC must actively demonstrate and promote the value and potential of its data to both academic and non-academic communities as well as the wider public. Applicants are asked to propose a framework to both support non-academic stakeholders and promote the data for academic use. Ongoing engagement with stakeholders to refine the framework is encouraged. The aim of this work is to:
An effective approach is to publish initial findings that highlight the data’s utility to a broad and diverse audience. However, no national data (or interpretations of such data) can be released, published or reported in any way until the data has been officially released by the ESS Data Archive. Initial findings could be released alongside the data or shortly after, but this must not delay data release itself.
You should consider other structured and proactive approaches for engaging policy and research communities, promoting and demonstrating the utility and availability of the ESS data. A range of approaches and activities are encouraged to maximise the scale and impact of outreach across the UK. You should outline your expected deliverables for dissemination alongside a timeline for these.
ESRC will set out monitoring and reporting requirements in the terms and conditions of the award. Award holders will be required to produce an updated timeline, deliverables list and risk register at the start of the grant, for regular discussion with us.
The award holders will be expected to provide us with a short, written, six-monthly update on activities, including risk, finance and progress, and where applicable impact. More frequent updates will be expected on important activities, risks and major project changes if they present a risk to meeting its objectives. Researchfish reporting is also required.
We will assign an investment manager as a lead contact for each funded investment. Contact will include a twice-yearly meeting of the ESS ERIC Troika comprised of ESRC, ESS ERIC HQ and the host institution (City St George’s, University of London). The UK ESS NC will report to Troika and engage in further discussions on UK specific strategy and operation of the ESS in the UK. Additional meetings may also be required.
ESS ERIC also have reporting, monitoring and communication requirements for the NC, these are outlined in the ESS specification.
Applications should include sufficient time for project leads and (where relevant) co-leads to meet these monitoring requirements.
Applications must comply with the ESRC research funding guide.
For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the ‘Additional information’ section.
The duration of this award is a maximum of 48 months from August 2026.
Projects must start by 1 October 2026.
The FEC of your project can be up to £2,310,000.
ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC (exceptions including subcontracted social surveys are funded at 100% FEC).
Where survey data collection is subcontracted, net subcontracted data collection costs should be submitted as the NC is expected to be appointed as an agent of the ESS ERIC, under this arrangement the supply of fieldwork services will be VAT zero rated.
This funding can be used for:
This funding cannot be used for:
We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.
UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. 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 you can find additional support.
ESRC supports a range of data infrastructure. Where relevant, we encourage applicants to consider whether the use of these resources could add value to the project. See facilities and resources for information on finding and using ESRC datasets which are available across the UK.
Where relevant, details of datasets and infrastructure to be used in your project should be given in the Facilities section.
ESRC recognises the importance of data quality and provenance. Data generated, collected or acquired by ESRC-funded research must be well-managed by the grant holder to enable their data to be exploited to the maximum potential for further research. See our research data policy for details and further information on data requirements. The requirements of the research data policy are a condition of ESRC research funding.
Where relevant, details on data management and sharing should be provided in the Data Management section. See the importance of managing and sharing data and content for inclusion in a data management plan on the UK Data Service (UKDS) website for further guidance. We expect applicants to provide a summary of the points provided. The UKDS (email: datasharing@ukdataservice.ac.uk) will be pleased to advise applicants on the availability of data within the academic community and provide advice on data deposit requirements.
We expect applicants to consider the potential scientific, societal and economic impacts of their research. Outputs, dissemination and impact are a key part of the criteria for most expert review and assessment processes. We also encourage applications that demonstrate innovation and interdisciplinarity (research combining approaches from more than one discipline).
We are committed to knowledge exchange and encouraging collaboration between
researchers and the private, public and civil society sectors. Collaborative working benefits both the researchers and the individuals or organisations involved. Through collaboration, partners learn about each other’s expertise, share knowledge and gain an appreciation of different professional cultures. Collaborative activity can therefore lead to a better understanding of the ways that academic research can add value and offer insights to key issues of concern for policy and practice.
Knowledge exchange should not be treated as an ‘add-on’ at the end of a project but considered before the start and built into a project.
ESRC requires that the research we support is designed and conducted in such a way that it meets ethical principles. Therefore, we require the research is subject to proper professional and institutional oversight in terms of research governance .
We have agreed a Framework for Research Ethics that all submitted proposals must comply with. Read further details about the Framework for Research Ethics and guidance on compliance.
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, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.
Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page:
Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
When including images, you must:
Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include:
A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
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:
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.
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.
ESRC must receive your application by 21 May 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 this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
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.
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email datainfrastructure@esrc.ukri.org
Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include:
For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.
There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations. Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged.
This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.
ESRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at what ESRC has funded.
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
Only list one individual as project lead.
UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.
Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Word limit: 1,500
What are you hoping to achieve with the proposed infrastructure?
Explain how the proposed infrastructure will :
Also explain how the proposed infrastructure will:
You should describe why the European Social Survey is valuable to the UK and your vision for maximising this value across Rounds 13 and 14.
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Word limit: 2,500
What are your plans to manage and deliver the proposed infrastructure?
We expect you to show how your approach includes:
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Word limit: 1,650
Why are you the right individual or team to deliver and manage the proposed infrastructure?
Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:
Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, meet the ESS ERIC National Coordinator requirements:
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
The word limit for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.
Use the 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 to 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 below. You should 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:
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).
You should complete this section as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.
The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.
Word limit: 500
What are the ethical and RRI considerations, 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.
Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation.
Word limit: 1,500
What will you need to deliver and manage the proposed infrastructure and how much will it cost?
Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:
Where surveys are subcontracted, you should seek out quotations for a minimum of three potential fieldwork providers and provide these estimates in the ‘Resources and cost justification’. Otherwise, you must explain and evidence why this is not possible and demonstrate that you have considered alternative approaches to procuring some or all aspects of the fieldwork. Further details on requirements and the evidence required can be found in the ‘Survey implementation and data collection’ section of ‘Scope’.
Where survey data collection is subcontracted, net subcontracted data collection costs should be submitted as the NC is expected to work with ESRC and ESS ERIC to appoint the NC as an agent of the ESS ERIC, under this arrangement the supply of fieldwork services will be VAT zero rated.
You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders.
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:
Word limit: 1,000
What is your strategy for dissemination to promote use and generate impact?
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the service.
References may be included within this section.
Word limit: 500
Where data collection is subcontracted, provide details of your contingency plan in case your organisation is unable to implement the agent agreement with ESS ERIC.
Evidence of a clear plan detailing how you would deliver the core requirements of this funding opportunity in the absence of an agent arrangement.
If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Word limit: 100
Provide details of support from your research organisation.
Provide a statement of support from your research organisation detailing how they will support you, as the applicant, and your proposed activities. This should include details of any matched funding that will be provided to support the activity and any additional support that might add value to the work.
The statement should detail why this organisation is well-placed to host the UK ESS National Coordinator and demonstrate its commitment to hosting and running this strategic investment.
Where survey data collection is subcontracted, the statement must also demonstrate that the organisation has:
Assessors will be looking for a strong statement of support from your research organisation. This information should have been approved for submission by an appropriate institutional authority.
You must also include the following details:
Upload details are provided within the Funding Service on the actual application.
Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.
A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct contributions for example cash, donated equipment and resources, or staff seconded to the project, or indirect and in-kind contributions for example use of project partner’s equipment, datasets, or facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.
Add the following project partner details:
If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Word limit: 1,500
How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?
Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes, and with ESS data archiving rules.
Word limit: 250
Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?
If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.
For each requested facility you will need to provide the:
Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above. If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Word limit: 100
Does your proposed work relate to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation principles?
Demonstrate how your proposed work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation principles including:
We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information later, in line with UKRI TR&I principles and funding terms and conditions (RGC 2.6.2, 2.7.1 and 2.7.2).
Word limit: 100
Does the proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement?
Provide details about your expected international collaboration or engagement, including:
If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
We reserve the right to amend this assessment process as the funding opportunity progresses. If this is the case, we will publish details of the amended process.
We will assess your application using the following process.
We will appoint a panel of experts spanning the breadth of the funding opportunity’s scope to assess the quality of your application against the assessment areas. Applications receiving sufficiently supportive reviewer’s comments will be invited to interview. The score threshold will be informed by the level of demand and the quality of the applications received. There will be an opportunity to respond to the assessors’ comments at the interview.
Each panel member will individually assess and score your application against the questions and expectations outlined in the ‘How to apply’ section. The panel will then meet and conduct interviews with applicants, after which they will agree a final score and make a funding recommendation to ESRC.
ESRC will make the final funding decision, based on the advice provided by the panel.
We expect interviews to be held in mid-July virtually. ESRC reserves the right to adjust timelines should that be required.
For more information on how we prioritise applications for funding please visit how we make decisions.
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.
Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment, including to correct language, spelling, grammar and formatting. 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.
We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.
The assessment areas we will use are:
Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.
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.
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 datainfrastructure@esrc.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:
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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.
The European Social Survey (ESS) is an academically driven cross-national, bi-annual, cross-sectional survey that has been conducted across Europe since 2001. The survey measures the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour patterns of diverse populations in more than thirty nations. ESS became a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) in 2013 and is hosted in the UK by City St George’s, University of London. The aims of the ESS ERIC are:
For further details, see ESS website.
Under the ESS ERIC governance structure, the General Assembly shall have full decision-making powers regarding the operations and management of the ESS ERIC. The General Assembly is assisted in this role by a range of advisory boards and committees including a Scientific Advisory Board and Methods Advisory Board. In addition, the General Assembly will work with ESS ERIC Director, who is based at ESS headquarters, City St George’s, University of London. The ESS ERIC Director is supported by the Core Scientific Team and the National Coordinators Forum.
From Round 1 to 11 face-to-face data collection was undertaken. However, from Round 11 ESS decided to move away from fully face-to-face data collection. Round 12 is currently being conducted as a mixed-mode approach, comprising half face-to-face collection and half self-completion, to act as a bridge for ESS full transition to self-completion in Round 13.
The UK has participated in all 12 rounds of the ESS and is committed to participating in Round 13 and 14.
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.
Equality Impact Assessment (PDF, 294KB)
Round 12 fieldwork update January 2026 (PDF, 60KB)
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:
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.
