Early- and mid-career researchers in the humanities and social sciences can apply for a 12-month British Academy Innovation Fellowship working with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Cabinet Office. Awards can be worth up to £120,000.
Overview
The 2026 Policy-Led Route B call is designed to connect academic researchers directly with policymakers working on specialised government research needs. The Fellowship supports knowledge exchange, policy-relevant analysis, career development, and stronger links between academia and public institutions.
The current call includes themes in applied history, critical infrastructure and European warfare, South Asia geopolitics and regional security, the UK-France relationship, and UK national security strategy.
Benefits
- Award Value: The British Academy can provide awards of up to £120,000 for 12 months.
- Policy Access: Fellows work closely with FCDO and Cabinet Office policymakers.
- Career Development: The programme is intended to strengthen policy engagement, knowledge mobilisation, and professional networks.
- Research Impact: Fellows apply humanities and social-science expertise to defined policy challenges.
Eligibility
- Career Stage: The call is for established early-career and mid-career researchers.
- Discipline: Applicants should work in the humanities or social sciences.
- Theme: Applications must address one of the policy themes listed in the current call.
- Institutional Process: Applications require submission and UK institutional approval through the British Academy’s grant system.
- Timing: Awards are expected to begin no later than March 31, 2027, subject to the required security checks and agreement.
How to Apply
- Deadline: Applications and UK institutional approval are due November 18, 2026 at 17:00 GMT.
- Choose a Theme: Select one of the five policy areas listed in the official call.
- Read the Guidance: Review the current scheme guidance before preparing the application.
- Submit: Apply through the British Academy Flexi-Grant system before the deadline.
