ESRC research funding guide

Documents

ESRC research funding guide for the UKRI Funding Service

Details

This guide gives details of the arrangements and procedures for ESRC research grants.

It covers:

the type of funding opportunities ESRC offers
eligibility for funding
evaluation
how to apply
the costs that grants cover
how applications are assessed
what happens with successful applications

Updates

8 May 2025
Start date procedures updated.
28 March 2025
Removal of the ESRC research funding guide for Je-S applications.
26 March 2025
Summary of changes: HTML version update. For further detail on eligibility for international project co-leads, including eligible costs, see UKRI Project Co-Lead (international) Policy and ESRC project co-lead (international) policy guidance.
26 March 2025
Summary of changes: HTML version update. Updates to directly incurred equipment section and additional guidance supplied. Items of equipment with a value less than £25,000 must be costed under ‘Directly Incurred Other’. Single items of equipment costing over £25,000 should be included under the Equipment heading. Removed sections Exceptions: Equipment and Items of equipment over £10,000.
21 January 2025
Summary of changes for the Funding Service guide: additional text added to the 'Exceptions: Staff, travel and other' section about international costs to cover fieldwork or other project related activities.
31 October 2024
Summary of changes for the Funding Service guide: minor amendment to remove the statement that profit making organisations and international government departments are not eligible under the project co-lead (international) policy.
9 September 2024
Summary of changes for the Funding Service guide: The combined costs for project co-leads (international) not on the OECD DAC list (plus any based in organisations in India and China), and project co-leads from UK business, third sector or government organisations, on an application cannot be more than 30% of the total full economic cost.
30 July 2024
Summary of changes: The UKRI project co-lead (international) (PcL(I))policy has replaced the ESRC PcL(I) policy. Applicants from DAC list countries (excepting China and India) are no longer required to adhere to the 30% cap on total combined full economic costs for international and UK business, third sector or government organisations on a grant.
30 July 2024
Summary of changes continued: They can also apply for indirects at 20% of directly incurred costs. The 30% cap remains for international applicants from high income countries.
18 April 2024
Summary of changes: correction. Casual staff employed by a research organisation must be costed under the subheading 'directly incurred (DI) other' and not 'DI staff'.
18 April 2024
Summary of changes: HTML version update. Correction. UKRI will pay 80% of directly incurred staff salary costs.
18 April 2024
Summary of changes: HTML version update. Added direct links in 'Managing your award' section, including web guidance for requesting changes to your project.
18 April 2024
Summary of changes: Je-S version update. Alcohol is not permitted and should not be sought as an eligible cost.
18 April 2024
Summary of changes: the ESRC research funding guide is provided as an additional resource to the UKRI terms and conditions. Please refer to both resources when addressing ESRC research funding concerns.
16 February 2024
Summary of changes: HTML version update to the project co-lead (international) eligibility section. Any academic researcher from an established international research organisation which has the capacity and capability to conduct the specified work will be eligible for the role of project co-lead (international).
16 February 2024
Summary of changes: HTML version update to the organisational eligibility section detailing expectations on staff development and provision for research careers which is at least equivalent to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. Organisations must also support the professional development of technicians employed on the grant in line with the Technician Commitment.
16 February 2024
Summary of changes: applications that receive sufficiently supportive reviewer comments will have the opportunity to provide a response to reviewers’ comments. This is primarily informed by the average expert reviewer score. The minimum threshold score for progressing to applicant response and panel is determined on an individual funding opportunity basis.
7 December 2023
Summary of changes: updated best practice for advisory or external stakeholder groups.
7 December 2023
Summary of changes: UKRI allow visa, immigration health surcharge and certificate of sponsorship costs to be charged to a grant for all directly incurred staff directly employed on the grant for 50% or more of their contracted time.
7 December 2023
Summary of changes: alcohol is not permitted and should not be sought as an eligible cost.
7 December 2023
Summary of changes: funds may only be transferred into studentship stipend or fees to supplement an existing studentship post on the grant. Transferring funds to create new studentship posts are not permitted without UKRI approval.
7 December 2023
Summary of changes: merit pay and bonus award schemes costs are not permitted.
7 December 2023
Summary of changes: health and social care levy costs are permitted as part of staff salary costs.
7 December 2023
Summary of changes: travel claims should be by standard class by train and economy class by air. Exceptions to this may be permitted where there is a justifiable health and wellbeing need, approved by the research organisation prior to purchase and evidence of this should be available.
7 December 2023
Summary of changes: timesheets must be completed for all directly incurred or exceptions staff who are contracted to work on two or more UKRI projects. Timesheets must be approved no later than two months after period end.
17 October 2023
Minor wording update to the ESRC research funding guide for the UKRI Funding Service, with correction to the project lead and project co-lead eligibility section. Third sector organisations are eligible as international project co-leads as long as they meet all the other eligibility criteria set out in the policy.
2 October 2023
PDF document replaced and the HTML version amended. Updates applied to the Je-S and Funding Service guides for clarity on applicant response to reviewer comments turnaround, circumstances where ESRC would reject applications, virement rules and SoECAT form requirements.
26 June 2023
Following updates made to ESRC research funding guide for the UKRI Funding Service: statements added confirming rejection of applications which do not comply with the rules of the opportunity; section added on flexible funding pots; disclaimers added confirming that business project co-leads cannot claim estates or indirect costs for ESRC opportunities.
23 June 2023
ESRC research funding guide: for Je-S applications document has been updated with: notification at the start of the document to indicate this guidance is for applicants using Je-S. Guidance for applicants using the UKRI Funding Service can be found on the website; guidance on Flexible Funding Pots added to the other directly incurred costs section.
12 June 2023
Latest version of the 'ESRC research funding guide: for Je-S applications document' added.
9 June 2023
Minor wording changes and updated links in the HTML document
25 May 2023
Added the HTML document 'ESRC research funding guide for the UKRI Funding Service'.
21 April 2023
Update to the extensions notification requirement and additional transfers guidance added.
1 February 2023
Latest version of document added.
25 November 2022
Latest version of document added.
22 April 2022
Latest version of document added
15 August 2022
Latest version of document added