Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
, UK Research and Innovation
Funding type:
Grant
Total fund:
£2,000,000
Maximum award:
£200,000
Publication date:
14 July 2025
Opening date:
15 July 2025 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
23 September 2025 4:00pm UK time
Apply for a fellowship to undertake innovative, impact-focused research using smart data. Projects should address a significant real-world challenge which is relevant to the UK.
Projects must be clearly aligned to at least one of :
* Productivity and prosperity for all
* Health and wellbeing
* Digital society
* Sustainability
The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £200,000. Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) will fund 80% of the FEC.
Projects may run for up to 18 months and must start on 01 February 2026.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for ESRC funding.
Who can apply
To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation. .
Who is eligible to apply
This funding opportunity is open to researchers at all career stages. We particularly encourage applications from early career researchers.
Researchers new to using smart data are encouraged to apply. They should include mentoring and capacity building plans as part of their fellowship to support their research goals.
We encourage a minimum time commitment of 0.6 full-time equivalent for the fellowship, although we will accept fellowship proposals below this suggested time commitment. Applicants employed on part-time contracts should commit an FTE at a proportionate level. We encourage you to make full use of the opportunity presented by the data and funding available.
Who is not eligible to apply
* researchers who are named leads and co-leads with more than 0.2 FTE on SDR UK’s Data Service grants are not eligible to apply
* SDR UK Accelerator award holders with more than six months left on their award on 31 January 2026 are not eligible to apply
* applicants from non-UK organisations are not eligible to apply for funding for this funding opportunity
* project leads (international), project co-leads (international), and international fellows are not eligible to apply for funding for this funding opportunity. You must be based within an eligible UK institution for the duration of the fellowship.
Resubmissions
We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI.