External funding sources

The British Academy with the support of the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Royal Academy of Engineering, has re-launched a funding scheme to support pump priming grants to Horizon Europe.

The priming funding (up to £10k per application) supports proposals from UK and EU/Associated Countries-based researchers working towards a specific 2024 (or later) call and topic in Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe (challenge-based collaborative research and innovation). Proposals are welcome in all disciplines. Please see the Horizon Europe funding portal for calls identified as ‘open for submission’ or ‘forthcoming’. Such Calls and Topics may target any type of action and focus on any cluster: 1 (Health), 2 (Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society), 3 (Civil Security for Society), 4 (Digital, Industry and Space), 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility) and 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment).

The scheme is aimed at those less experienced with applying to EU Framework Programmes, and first time applicants are strongly encouraged.

Next deadline: 21 February 2024

The previous (2022) round funded 71 awards, with teams going on to secure €45 million in Horizon Europe. 

The uncertainty during the last two years has had a significant impact on the UK’s participation in Horizon Europe, with an estimated reduction of 50% across the UK.  The UK government is keen to see the volume of high quality applications increase, so there are likely to be additional funding streams (similar to the one above) announced. Keep checking back here for news.

Internal funding sources

University Research Priming supports “novel projects which have the aim of investigating the viability of hypotheses, feasibility of techniques and/or the development of collaborative relationships in order that a sustainable avenue of research may be started or expanded;

‒ to help bring collaborators and stakeholders to the University for either research priming or

achieving impact;

‒ to support the purchase of strategically important capital equipment for research”.

As such, University Research Priming can be used to build consortia and pilot research for onward funding applications to Horizon Europe.  A summary of all internal funding allocated and managed by the Internal Funding Team is updated regularly, some of which could also lay the foundations for future EU research funding.