Pandemic Preparedness: Lessons to Learn from COVID-19 across the G7

Funded by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The programmes aims to identify lessesons learned and lessons to learn from the experience withn G7 countries of preparing for, adapting and responding to COVID-19 for future pandemic preparedness.

Aims

COVID-19 is the most challenging health crisis we have faced for decades. The impacts of the pandemic are changing lives and livelihoods, cultures, communities, societies and economies. Evidence from the social sciences and humanities is critical to ensuring that our preparedness for future pandemics is placed on the strongest possible footing, however, with attention starting to move elsewhere it is essential that the lessons learnt from COVID-19 are not lost. We wish to support research in the humanities and social sciences that will help demonstrate what has been learnt and what needs still to be done in addressing these lessons for future pandemic preparedness across the G7.

We see these studies drawing on experience across G7 countries, but where necessary to enable deeper analysis, focussing specifically on a subset of countries around particular topics/policy areas. We aim for the studies to draw out lessons that have been learned and identify areas where further reflection and analysis is needed in order to ensure future resilience. We would expect that across the G7 there will be differentiated experience(s) and we would expect that lessons across these different contexts can be compared and contrasted through the studies, demonstrating best practice and where there are remaining gaps in how countries across the G7 are prepared for the next pandemic. We would welcome studies that focus at lessons across multiple levels of place, scale and time, including regionally at a G7 level, nationally, locally and at hyper-local/community level.

Duration and value of awards

Awards of up to £100,000 and up to 18 months in duration are available, starting in March 2023.

Funding may be used to support:

1. the time of the PI and Co-Applicants
2. research assistance
3. travel, fieldwork and related expenses
4. networking costs
5. university costs in hosting and supporting the project, with award-holders expected to base the division of spend on the Full Economic Costing basis at 80%

The following items are not eligible for funding:

1. purchasing of assets
2. computer hardware including laptops, electronic notebooks, digital cameras, etc.
3. books and other permanent resources
4. the preparation of camera-ready copy, copy-editing, proof-reading, indexing, nor any other editorial task
5. subventions for direct production costs (printing, binding, distribution, marketing etc.)
6. costs of publication in electronic media
7. travel and maintenance expenses for purposes such as lecture tours or to write up the results of research

All grants will be paid to the employing organisation of the PI, and not to the individual researchers involved. Organisations must be officially recognised by the British Academy prior to the proposal being submitted.

Selection criteria

All eligible proposals submitted in response to this call will be assessed by Academy peer reviewers.

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

1. The expertise of the applicants in the subject area and their experience in conducting studies using similar research methodologies;
2. The feasibility of the proposal in terms of appropriate and robust methodology;
3. The demonstrated commitment and ability to meet the deliverables and deadlines outlined above;
4. The demonstrated ability to include a comparative perspective across all of the G7 and the strength of the proposed research partnership;
5. Value for money.

Application and assessment procedure

All applicants must register in the British Academy’s online Flexi-Grant system to enable the processing and assessment of their application. All applications must be submitted in English.

All applications will be subject to an eligibility check undertaken by appropriate British Academy staff before being put forward for assessment, and applications that are not completed correctly and on time will not be considered.

The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is 22 February 2023 at 17:00 (GMT). Applicants will not be allowed to make any changes to their applications or submit any additional information after the 22 February deadline.

• Scheme guidance
• General information about British Academy research funding
• What sort of research do we fund?