Collective projects

The Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) is dedicated to research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. The overarching theme of MIASA is ‘sustainable governance’ from a genuine interdisciplinary and critical perspective, whereby ‘governance’ is understood in a wide sense, namely as the interplay of informal and formal rules for steering public affairs, embedded in historical, social, material and cultural practices of everyday life.

The AHRC Follow-on Funding for Impact and Engagement Scheme (FoF) provides funds to support innovative and creative engagements with new audiences and user communities which stimulate pathways to impact. Funds will be awarded for knowledge exchange, public engagement, dissemination and commercialisation activities that arise unforeseeably during the lifespan of or following an AHRC-funded project.

The Research Networking Scheme is intended to support forums for the discussion and exchange of ideas on a specified thematic area, issue or problem. The intention is to facilitate interactions between researchers and stakeholders through, for example, a short-term series of workshops, seminars, networking activities or other events.

The Research Grants scheme has two routes:

EPIM does not use open calls or accept unsolicited applications for grants. Our experience over the years shows that open calls place a heavy burden on applicants and can create expectations that are difficult to meet.

The Academy is proud to administer the Social Science Collaborative Research Program in partnership with the Embassy of France in Australia. This joint program will continue to support early and mid-career social science researchers in the renewed form of a Workshops initiative, creating structured opportunities for social scientists to deepen collaboration, share expertise, and advance bilateral research priorities.

Australia-France Social Science Collaborative Workshops

Applications for 2026 will be open from 12 January – 10 March. 

Independent scholars deadline for this round is 27 May 2026, 17:00 BST.

Career stage: Postdoctoral or equivalent research
Funding status: Open for applications
Scheme opens date: 8 Apr 2026
Deadline date: 03 Jun 2026 - 17:00 BST
Earliest start date: 21 Sep 2026
Duration of award: Up to 24 months
Contact details: grants@thebritishacademy.ac.uk