ESRC Connect Awards (pilot)
Funds early-stage, high-risk research to develop new fields and innovative collaborations across and beyond the social sciences.
Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates: June 10, 2026
Funding Amounts: £50,000–£150,000 per award (80% FEC); up to 6 months; total fund: £3,000,000
Summary: Supports early-stage, collaborative, and high-risk research to build new fields and innovative ideas across and beyond the social sciences.
Key Information: Distributed peer review: applicants must review peers’ proposals to remain eligible.
Description
This funding opportunity aims to help researchers scope, seed, and grow emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry, particularly within and beyond the social sciences. The awards are designed for novel, exploratory, and high-risk ideas, supporting early collaborations that could lead to transformative research. Activities may include networking, seminars, workshops, knowledge exchange, and pilot studies. The scheme is central to UKRI’s mission to enable ambitious new research directions and to develop early-stage concepts, methods, and approaches. As a pilot, the outcomes and process will inform future funding opportunities.
