ESRC New Investigator Grants

We are pleased to invite proposals for our New Investigator Grants. New Investigator Grants form one element of our support for early career researchers and the scheme is specifically aimed at supporting those looking to make the transition to an independent researcher through managing their first major research project. These grants replace our Future Research Leaders scheme.

The call is open to high-quality candidates from anywhere in the world who have a maximum of four years’ postdoctoral experience and the support of an eligible UK research organisation. Grants ranging from £100,000 to £300,000 full Economic Cost (fEC) can be awarded.

Proposals are welcomed across the full disciplinary range of the social sciences and at the interface with the wider sciences, however the social sciences must represent at least 50 per cent of the research focus and effort.

The call will operate alongside ESRC’s Research Grants open call and you can submit proposals at any time - there are no fixed closing dates. We aim to announce the majority of decisions within 26 weeks of receiving the proposal although we cannot guarantee this, since it is dependent on receiving sufficient good quality peer review comments within the necessary timescale.