APEX Awards
Aims
In partnership with the British Academy, the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering ("the Academies") and supported generously by the Leverhulme Trust, the APEX Awards (Academies Partnership in Supporting Excellence in Cross-disciplinary research) offer established independent researchers, with a strong track record in their respective area and proven ability to lead collaborative work, an exciting opportunity to pursue genuine interdisciplinary and blue skies, curiosity-driven research to benefit wider society. Successful applicants will be expected to work in collaboration with relevant researchers from other disciplines.
The objectives of this scheme are to:
- promote collaboration across disciplines, with a particular emphasis on the boundary between science, engineering, and the social sciences and humanities
- support outstanding interdisciplinary research which is unlikely to be supported through conventional funding programmes
- support researchers with an outstanding track record in developing their research in a new direction through collaboration with partners from other disciplines
- enable outstanding researchers to focus on advancing their innovative research through seed funding
For the purposes of this scheme interdisciplinary research is defined as:
"Interdisciplinary research (IDR) is a mode of research by teams or individuals that integrates information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, and/or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge to advance fundamental understanding or to solve problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single discipline or area of research practice. Successful IDR plans and supports research practices and outputs greater than the sum of their constituent disciplinary parts.”
Subjects covered
The scheme aims to promote collaborations that push beyond traditional boundaries and integrate knowledge and approaches from different subject fields covered by the remit of more than one of the Academies.
The British Academy Remit – In any discipline within the social sciences and humanities - in some cases, creative and professional practice may play a significant role in shaping the methods and/or outcomes of research. In all proposals, whether practice-led or not, a clear scholarly rationale is required for the choice of research methods, processes and outputs. For a full list, please the British Academy’s subject sections page.
The Royal Academy of Engineering Remit – Applications are welcome from any engineering discipline. Engineering is defined in its broadest sense, encompassing a wide range of diverse fields, including computer science and materials. Broad engineering categories can be found under the list of Panels on the the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Fellowship page.
The Royal Society Remit – Natural sciences (including agriculture, mathematics, technology, computer science, materials, medical, environmental and engineering sciences, but excluding clinical medicine). For a full list, please see the Royal Society's guidance page. Submissions from clinically qualified scientists may be considered. The Society does not support clinical or interventional research on humans at the individual or group level.
For applications combining the remits of the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering, applicants must demonstrate a clear integration between science and engineering and should advance both fields. Applications which are within the remit of just one Academy will not be permitted. Applications that cover closely aligned disciplines, that meet more than one of the Academies remits, will require a strong justification of the interdisciplinary nature of the research.
Applicant eligibility
The Lead applicant must
- be an exceptional, independent researcher with a strong track record and proven ability to lead collaborative work
- hold a permanent or fixed-term position covering the duration of the award
- have both teaching and admin duties from which they can be relieved from. Applicants that do not have teaching and administrative duties are not eligible to apply
- be based in a UK University or a UK not-for-profit research organisation
Lead applicants may include up to two Co-applicants. When choosing the Co-applicant(s), the Lead applicant must ensure that the proposed collaboration demonstrates genuine integration across disciplines, such as science, engineering and the social sciences and humanities — combining methods, concepts, or perspectives from different Academy remits.
The Co-applicant must
- be an exceptional, independent researcher with complementary expertise to the Lead applicant and covering a different Academy remit. For projects with two Co-applicants, the subject area of at least one Co-applicant must fall under a different Academy remit from that of the Lead applicant. This requirement ensures that the proposed research maintains its interdisciplinary and cross Academy nature
- hold a permanent or fixed-term position covering the duration of the award
- be based in a UK University or a UK not-for-profit research organisation
Lead and Co-applicants can only submit one application per round. Previous award holders may re-apply but any additional application should be a new project and not a follow on from the previous award. Any new projects should meet the aims of the scheme outlined above.
The Academies recognise that diversity is essential for delivering excellence across science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the social sciences and humanities. The Academies want to encourage applications from the widest range of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to maximise innovation and creativity in STEM, social sciences and humanities for the benefit of humanity.
Please see the Scheme Guidance Notes and FAQs for further guidance. Enquiries about eligibility can be made to apex@royalsociety.org.
Value and duration
Awards are expected to commence between 1 October and 31 December 2027 and can be held for up to 24 months. Applicants can apply for up to £200,000. This represents the maximum award value which can be used to cover staff costs for the Lead applicant and the Co-applicant(s), research costs and public engagement costs.
Research costs must represent no more than 25% of the total award value excluding public engagement costs. Research costs can cover consumables, equipment, and collaborative travel.
Public engagement costs: applicants can request up to £10,000 to support public engagement activities relating to their APEX proposal. Please note that public engagement costs should not be included in the total award value when calculating the 25% limit for research costs.
For full information on eligible and ineligible costs, please see the Scheme Guidance Notes and FAQs.
Application process
Applications should be submitted through the Royal Society’s grant management system, Flexi-Grant®, by 15:00 (BST) on Tuesday 8 September 2026.
Your application will go through the assessment process detailed in the APEX Awards scheme guidance.
You will be notified of the result of the application process in April 2027.
We are committed to supporting applicants with disabilities. If you require a reasonable adjustment during the application process, please contact the team via APEX@royalsociety.org or phone +44 20 7451 2666.
Scheme guidance notes
Please read the scheme guidance notes carefully before completing an application.
Frequently asked questions
Please refer to our FAQs page for answers to the most frequently asked questions about the scheme.
Webinar recording
On 19 June, the British Academy hosted a promotional webinar for the 2027 round of the APEX Awards, a cross- Academy scheme bringing together the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society and supported generously by the Leverhulme Trust. The session provided an overview of the scheme and the application process, offered guidance on how to structure a strong application, and gave attendees the opportunity to hear from previous award holders about their experiences.
