Deadline: 09-Sep-2025
The British Academy is thrilled to invite nominations for its APEX Awards (Academies Partnership in Supporting Excellence in Cross-disciplinary Research) to 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 curiosity-driven research to benefit wider society.
Objectives
- 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.
Funding Information
- Grant amount: up to £200,000 to fund staff costs for the lead applicant and the co-applicant and associated research costs representing no more than 25% of the total award value. These can include consumables, equipment, and collaborative travel.
- Applicants will also have the option to request funds (up to £10,000) to support public engagement activities relating to their APEX proposal, inclusive of the maximum award value.
Eligibility Criteria
- Lead applicants and co-applicants must be exceptional researchers with a strong track record as established independent researchers (this can include engineering researchers, humanities and social sciences scholars and scientists).
- Lead applicants will be expected to collaborate with a research partner (co-applicant) from a different discipline (Academy remit) to their own, based at the same institution or a different university in the UK. When choosing the co-applicant(s), the lead applicant should consider how the proposed collaboration(s) will foster connections between different disciplines such as science, engineering, and the social sciences and humanities.
- Applications must be within the remit of more than one of the Academies. Applications within the remit of the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering must demonstrate a clear integration between science and engineering. 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.
Ineligibility Criteria
- Applicants that do not have teaching and administrative duties are not eligible to apply.
Assessment Criteria
- The primary considerations in the assessment process will be:
- The applicant’s strong scientific and/or engineering and/or social sciences and/or humanities track record, and proven track record in collaborative research
- The strength of the interdisciplinary research collaboration and team
- The quality, novelty, and potential of the proposed interdisciplinary research project
- The potential of the proposed project to enable the applicant to develop a new direction for their research and establish new tools, methodologies or applications derived by the synergy of diverse fields.
For more information, visit The British Academy.
