Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
Funding type:
Other
Total fund:
£2,460,000
Publication date:
13 February 2026
Opening date:
24 February 2026 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
10 March 2026 4:00pm UK time
This invite-only funding opportunity will provide funding for a three-year phase for the Decision Maker Panel. Your proposal should demonstrate the value of the project and specific activities that will be carried out, including:
* the gathering of data from key decision makers in business, across a range of sizes and industries, on the expectations and uncertainties facing their business
* data availability to other researchers in line with ESRC data infrastructure strategies and ESRC research data policy
ESRC will contribute up to £1.97 million towards the award. Funding can last up to three financial years (36 months).
You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so.
This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. .
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service. For full details of role type definitions and related costing information, visit .
International researchers
If applicable, any international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) can be included as project partners.
Business, third sector or government body project co-leads
Business, third sector or government body project co-leads based in the UK can also be included on research grant proposals as a project co-lead. Read for details of eligible organisations and costs.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.
We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:
* career breaks
* support for people with caring responsibilities
* flexible working
* alternative working patterns
UKRI can offer during the application and assessment process.
Aim
This invitation-only funding opportunity will provide funding for the Decision Maker Panel to continue collecting important economic data.
Scope
ESRC is committed to collection and use of high-quality economic data.
This invite-only funding opportunity will ensure continuity of the time series generated by the Decision Maker Panel (DMP) survey. The DMP has been a valuable source of information for understanding the implications of some of the significant economic events that have affected the UK economy over recent years. This funding is intended to sustain the high-quality data collection work of the DMP. It will ensure that this high-quality data is available to researchers in academia and government.
The application must clearly demonstrate how funds will allow you to maintain the survey capability of the Decision Maker Panel. This includes outlining how the team will continue to engage with ESRC and contribute to its goals.
Duration
The duration of this award is 36 months.
Project is expected to start on 1 May 2026.
Funding available
The total ESRC contribution for this funding opportunity will not exceed £1.97 million. The ‘total funding applied for’ on the application must not be more than this maximum value.
What we will fund
We will fund:
* activities that support data gathering from key decision makers in business
* activities that allow the data to be made available to other researchers
* data analysis work for the purpose of development of the survey
* costs for engagement with external users to ensure the usability and reliance of the data
What we will not fund
We will not fund activities intended to deliver broader analysis of the data beyond what is needed for survey development.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.
As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.
See, including where you can find additional support.
ESRC data infrastructure
We support a range of data infrastructure. Where relevant, we encourage you to consider whether the use of these resources could add value to the project. See for information on finding and using ESRC datasets which are available across the UK.
Where relevant, details of datasets and infrastructure to be used in your project should be given in the ‘Facilities’ section.
Data requirements
We recognise the importance of data quality and provenance. Data generated, collected or acquired by ESRC-funded research must be well-managed by the grant holder to enable their data to be exploited to the maximum potential for further research. See our for details and further information on. The requirements of the research data policy are a condition of ESRC research funding.
Where relevant, details on data management and sharing should be provided in the ‘Data management’ section. See the and on the UK Data Service (UKDS) website for further guidance. We expect you to provide a summary of the points provided. The UKDS [email: ] will be pleased to advise you on the availability of data within the academic community and provide advice on data deposit requirements.
Research ethics
We require that the research we support is designed and conducted in such a way that it meets ethical principles and is subject to proper professional and institutional oversight in terms of research governance. We have agreed a Framework for Research Ethics that all submitted proposals must comply with. Read further details about the .
You may only apply to this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so.
We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The project lead (PL) is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.
Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.
To apply
1. Confirm you are the project lead.
2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email
Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this funding opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
When including images, you must:
* provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
* insert each new image on a new line
* use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include:
* sentences or paragraphs of text
* tables
* excessive quantities of images
A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
* * *
References
References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:
* references are easily identifiable by the assessors
* references are formatted as appropriate to your research
* persistent identifiers are used where possible
General use of hyperlinks
Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.
For more information see our .
Deadline
ESRC must receive your application by 10 March 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to apply after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
Personal data
Processing personal data
ESRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.
We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our .
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email
Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include:
* individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
* declaration of interest
* additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
* conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
* the application is an invited resubmission
For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read .
Institutional Matched Funding
There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations. Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged.
This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations, who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI, for example research facilities, training and development of staff.
Publication of outcomes
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the .
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
* opinion-formers
* policymakers
* the public
* the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
* context
* the challenge the project addresses
* aims and objectives
* potential applications and benefits
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
* project lead (PL)
* project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
* grant manager
* research and innovation associate
Only list one individual as project lead.