The #BritishAcademy: Funding Call. #GlobalProfessorships2024

Funding Call – Global Professorships 2024

This programme provides internationally recognised established scholars – active in any discipline within the social sciences and the humanities and currently employed in any country overseas – with an opportunity to work and be based in the United Kingdom to undertake new, coherent and cutting-edge research projects.

Purpose of the Professorships

The Academy views the Global Professorships as an opportunity for established researchers to undertake high-risk, curiosity-driven research in the humanities and social sciences in a UK research institution. The Global Professorships are awards for individuals in an institutional setting. Applications must be for new, coherent and cutting-edge projects. The Global Professorships are expected to add significant value to the UK host institutions and vice versa, and thus the projects must be significant, leading to novel and innovative collaborations.

With the Global Professorships, the Academy is looking to support academics that are proposing ambitious, beyond the state-of-the-art applications that break new ground. The Academy views the Global Professorships as an opportunity to apply to undertake high-risk, curiosity-driven research in the humanities and social sciences that enables the award-holders and their UK host institutions to achieve a step change in their respective research programmes.

The Academy wishes to encourage applications from historically and/or structurally disadvantaged groups and female researchers.

Applicants should be intending to work in any aspect of the humanities or the social sciences. Outputs involving creative practice (eg, musical composition and performance, visual practice, creative writing and filmmaking) are welcome but will be considered to fall within the British Academy’s remit only when they form part of an integrated project of critical or historical significance.

Eligibility requirements

Applicants must hold a doctoral degree (or have equivalent research experience) and must be available to take up an unpaid leave of absence, a long-term secondment or employment at an eligible UK institution.

Co-applicants are not permitted.

Awards will not be made retrospectively: this means that the work for which support is requested must not have commenced before the award is announced. Applications must be for new research ideas that are coherent on their own and are cutting-edge.

The Academy regards the UK host institution’s engagement with the Global Professor as crucial to ensuring a successful award. Applications should demonstrate the UK host institution’s strong interest in the Professorship, how the Professor will be supported and/or mentored, and how the Professorship will be mutually beneficial to both the researcher and the UK host institution.

Value and duration

Awards are expected to run for four years each from a starting date to be agreed with the British Academy. The starting date must not be before 26 March 2025 or after 30 September 2025.

The Academy will provide up to £900,000 over four years.

Application process

Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy’s Grant Management System, Flexi-Grant®.

The deadline for Pro-Vice-Chancellor (or at minimum Head of Department/Faculty/Institute) supporting statements and UK host institution approval is 17:00 (BST) Wednesday 23 October 2024.

Earliest start date for research: 26 March 2025.

Contact details

Please contact internationalgrants@thebritishacademy.ac.uk for further information.