Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
Funding type:
Grant
Total fund:
£1,500,000
Award range:
£50,000 - £150,000
Publication date:
7 April 2026
Opening date:
7 April 2026 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
10 June 2026 4:00pm UK time
Apply for funding to connect with other researchers to scope, seed and grow emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry.
This pilot funding opportunity will support researchers to collaborate on novel, exploratory and high-risk ideas, building the foundations for future research and innovation.
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) will fund 80% of the project’s full economic cost (FEC). Awards can last up to six months. Projects must have finished by 31 March 2027.
Who can apply
This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility.
Who is eligible to apply
This funding opportunity will be open to researchers based in UK research organisations, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) institutes, NHS bodies, independent research organisations, public sector research establishments and Catapult centres. We encourage:
* applications from diverse groups of researchers
* applications from those who have not previously held ESRC grants
* applications from individuals at any career stage, subject to ESRC eligibility
Applications must have a project lead from the social science disciplines within
Who is not eligible to apply
ESRC’s UK business, third sector or government bodies project co-leads policy does not apply to this funding opportunity, therefore project co-leads from business, third sector or government cannot be included on applications. However, they may be included as project partners.
International researchers
As we are a lead funder for this funding opportunity, international researchers can apply as ‘project co-lead (international)’. You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
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
for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.
What we're looking for
Demand management
Demand management is not being applied to this funding opportunity.
Aim
Meaningful advances in knowledge often grow out of early collaboration and the exchange of perspectives between researchers testing new and uncertain ideas. These awards will foster those connections, enabling researchers to scope, seed and grow emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry.
This funding opportunity provides space for early collaboration on ideas within and beyond the social sciences that are novel, exploratory and high-risk, helping to build the foundations for future strategically important research and innovation.
This funding opportunity is central to UKRI’s mission to advance knowledge by enabling researchers to pursue ambitious new directions and to develop early-stage concepts, methods and approaches that can open fresh avenues of understanding. We expect outcomes from connect awards to be diverse, reflecting ideas and approaches that may be at different stages of development.
This funding opportunity is one of two pilots we are launching designed to fill gaps in our applicant-led funding offer. As this is a pilot, we will review the application process and outcomes of the awards to inform future funding opportunities. You may be asked to participate in that review process, for example by responding to surveys.
This funding opportunity will use distributed peer review (DPR), where applicants review other applications submitted to the same funding opportunity. To apply, you must be available and commit to undertake reviews, likely to take place in July.
Scope
Connect gives researchers the opportunity to come together to shape new fields of research, laying the groundwork for future strategic research and innovation. By combining innovative forms of collaboration with the exploration of new ideas across and beyond the social sciences, these awards are designed to stimulate early-stage ideas that could grow into transformative collaborations and programmes in the future.
We are looking for applications that bring researchers together, forming new collaborations across disciplines or bringing together different fields of research to develop high-risk, exploratory or unconventional research ideas and approaches.
The size and length of awards will give researchers from different backgrounds the space to test the potential of emerging research fields and new areas of inquiry. Applications should outline how new collaborations and shared research agendas will be developed.
Applications should also set out how you will test new areas of inquiry that could support future strategic research, for example, by applying ideas or methodologies from one field to another to stimulate new insights and challenge existing assumptions.
We recognise that testing novel collaborations and ideas may reveal that some are not viable, and this is a valid outcome. Applications should clearly describe how applicants will test that viability.
This is an applicant-led funding opportunity. The primary focus of proposed activities should be on the social sciences. However, we encourage collaborations with disciplines outside of the social sciences where these could lead to development of novel approaches.
Applications must have a project lead from the social science disciplines within
Collaborations between any number of researchers and in any format are supported, and you are free to propose how you will establish and test novel, collaborative approaches and ideas.
Where appropriate, collaborations with non-research partners are also allowed, providing these are additional to collaborations with other researchers, and that they are included on the grant as project partners rather than project co-leads.
Duration
The duration of this award is a maximum of six months. Successful projects must end by 31 March 2027. Therefore, projects that last six months must start on 1 October 2026.
Funding available
The FEC of your project can be between £50,000 and £150,000.
ESRC will fund 80% of the FEC.
What we will fund
You will have wide scope and the freedom to propose the activities you consider most appropriate for scoping and fostering novel connections that meet the project objectives, which may include but are not limited to:
* networking
* seminars and workshops
* focused events or conferences
* knowledge exchange activities
* scoping and initial pilot studies
* initial data collection
What we will not fund
We will not fund:
* duplication of collaborations and research that already exist
* follow-on activities from a previous and existing collaborative project, including the continuation, extension or repackaging of existing collaborations unless a truly novel or exploratory idea has arisen
* collaborations that focus on incremental development, rather than testing exploratory or novel ideas
* literature surveys
* research activities that could be funded through other more appropriate funding opportunities, for example, other ESRC responsive mode funding opportunities
* collaborations that do not have a project lead from social science disciplines or a primary focus on the social sciences
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. 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.
, including where applicants can find additional support.
ESRC data infrastructure
We support a range of data infrastructure. You should carefully consider whether existing data resources can meet your project needs. See for information on finding and using ESRC datasets which are available across the UK.
If your application is dependent on data access, appropriate approvals must be in place beforehand so that the project can start on time.
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 and on the UK Data Service (UKDS) website for further guidance. We expect you to provide a summary of the points provided. The UKDS will be pleased to advise you on the availability of data within the academic community and provide advice on data deposit requirements via
How to apply
We are running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions system.
The project lead 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.
Please make sure your application is written in clear, plain English so that reviewers who are not experts in your field can easily understand your proposed work.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
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 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 policy on the
Deadline
ESRC must receive your application by 10 June 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 this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. 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
ESRC, as part of UKRI, will
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the
Summary
Word limit: 250
In plain English, provide a summary for your proposed work.
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)
* project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
* specialist
* grant manager
* professional enabling staff
* research and innovation associate
* technician
Only list one individual as project lead.
UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.