Societies and Cultures Institute

Funding opportunities

Development Fund

We support University of Exeter researchers to lead challenge-facing and curiosity driven interdisciplinary HASS research, by enabling researchers to develop collaborations and partnerships, test innovative ideas or build an evidence base.

To do this we provide vital development funds for emerging research projects that address social and cultural challenges in a disruptive and innovative manner, and that have the potential to be submitted to an external funding call.

View our current Development Fund projects.

View our previous Development Fund projects.

In Summary:

We WILL fund ‘proof of concept’ pilot projects, where there is a clear and convincing pathway to full-scale development.

We WILL fund activity associated with a project already funded IF it is to facilitate external follow-on funding or a second stage funded project.

We WON’T fund initial stage networking and collaboration building activity.

We WON’T provide ‘completion funding’ for a mature project which has unfinished or add-on activities.

Please choose the most relevant Development Fund strand to meet your

research needs:

  1. Development Fund: Policies Support: (~£6,000 overall budget)
  • Research must make a measurable contribution to evidence-based policy-making. 
  • Significant involvement of an external non-HEI- partner organisation essential.
  • Maximum amount you can request is £6,000.

 

  1. Development Fund: ECR route: (~£12,000 overall budget)
  • ECR PI must be within two years of their first permanent contract appointment at Exeter.
  • Must include a clear and convincing timeline for the submission of an external funding application, recognised and approved by their Department DoRI.
  • Maximum amount you can request is £6,000.

 

  1. Development Fund: Interdisciplinary Focus: (~£12,000 overall budget)
  • Must include at least one Co-I from a different discipline to the PI.
  • Involvement of an external non HEI- partner organisation
  • Maximum amount you can request is £6,000.

 

  1. Development Fund: HASS – STEMM Collaboration: (~£20,000 overall budget)
  • Must include a Co-I from a STEMM discipline.
  • Maximum amount you can request is £10,000.

 

For further information and guidance, please view the Development Fund Call Guidance Document.

To request an application form please email societiesandcultures@exeter.ac.uk with your preferred strand.

Deadline: 10am Monday 23rd October 2023

Please note - all Development Fund awards must be spent by 31st July 2024.

Policy Support Fund

In the previous year, we also had a Policy Support Fund, which has been used to support novel, innovative research projects that addressed crucial policy issues, both regionally and nationally.

One such project was Dr Sarah Bulmer's (Politics, HaSS Penryn) Military Afterlives. This aimed to understand how British veterans and their families have experienced the transition out of the military and back into civilian life. Visit the Military Afterlives website to learn more.