AHRC Responsive Mode: UKRI NSF-SBE Lead Agency Opportunity

AHRC Responsive Mode: UKRI NSF-SBE Lead Agency Opportunity is sponsored by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Supports collaborative research projects between UK-based arts and humanities researchers and US-based researchers within the remit of AHRC and NSF-SBE.

AHRC responsive mode: UKRI NSF-SBE lead agency – UKRI Funding opportunity: AHRC responsive mode: UKRI NSF-SBE lead agency Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) US National Science Foundation, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Directorate (NSF-SBE) Award range: £300,000 - £1,500,000 11 December 2024 9:00am UK time Last updated: 3 June 2026 - see all updates Apply for funding to work with overseas researchers in the Unites States (US).

Submit a collaborative research grant application within the remit of Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and US National Science Foundation, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Directorate (NSF-SBE). Collaborative work is governed by an agreement between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and NSF-SBE. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding.

The full economic cost (FEC) of the UK hosted element of your project must be between £300,000 and £1. 5 million. AHRC will fund 80% the FEC.

The maximum duration of these awards is five years. Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation . For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual .

You are eligible to apply if you: are actively engaged in postdoctoral research have either a doctorate or can show that you have equivalent research experience or training have a level of skills, knowledge and experience that is appropriate for your proposed project are a member of a recognised research organisation or have an offer of support (including use of facilities) from a recognised research organisation You must comply with our current eligibility criteria for standard Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) research grant applications.

You can find more details in section two of the AHRC research funding guide . US based applicants must obtain a letter of support from the US institution agreeing to the US partner’s involvement and confirming eligibility of the US based project co-lead(s) under NSF-SBE criteria, providing that the mandatory Expression of Interest (EOI) is approved. For more information on the EOI process, please visit the ‘How to apply’ section below.

Project co-leads are supported by this funding opportunity and includes project co-lead internationals. Project co-leads (from outside the US), based in non-UK research organisations can be included in research grant applications and funded by AHRC as part of the project co-lead (international) policy, as per the guidance below. Other roles that are supported by this funding opportunity are listed in the ‘How to apply’ section below.

For more information on eligibility, please read our research funding guide . Who is not eligible to apply We do not support project studentships (funding PhD study) within this funding opportunity. AHRC and NSF-SBE welcome international researchers to apply as ‘project co-lead (international)’.

Please read sections two and three of our research funding guide for full details on eligibility of researchers, organisations, and costs. Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI .

enable arts and humanities researchers to establish or enhance effective working relationships with fellow researchers (both within and beyond the arts and humanities, and within and beyond the UK), as well as practitioners, and the wide range of individuals and organisations who may benefit from their research provide opportunities for less experienced researchers to develop their expertise and their careers by working collaboratively with senior researchers on well-defined projects and by leading projects themselves maximise the value of research outcomes by promoting their communication and dissemination with individuals and organisations outside academia and, where appropriate, to facilitate the knowledge transfer of those outcomes to both the research community and other contexts where they will make a difference We’re looking for researchers with applications for well-defined collaborative research projects.

However, you may include elements of individual research if you can show how this will add value. Collaborations can involve: a single institution or a combination of institutions researchers working in different research areas disciplines within the arts and humanities, or between an arts and humanities discipline and another subject area.

In such collaborations the arts and humanities element of the project should lead in shaping the research questions, methods and so on researchers working in other sectors The proposed collaboration should be appropriate for the specific needs of the research project. We expect the project lead and any project co-lead’s time commitment to be proportionate and relative to the project that they are proposing.

There is no minimum or maximum requirement. AHRC-funded themes and programmes For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the ‘Additional information’ section. The maximum duration of these awards is five years.

Projects must start at least nine months after the submission date of your application. The full economic Cost (FEC) of your project must be between £300,000 and £1. 5 million.

AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC. Costs associated with project co-lead internationals (PcL(I)s) will be funded at 100% FEC but must not exceed 30% of the total FEC of the project. However, this funding cap does not apply to any PcL(I) based in a country on the OECD DAC list (excepting India and China) .

PcL(I)s from a country on the OECD DAC list (excepting India and China) are also eligible to claim overheads support. Please read sections two and three of our research funding guide for further details on eligibility of these costs. Supporting skills and talent We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment .

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks. See further guidance and information about TR&I , including where you can find additional support.

Expression of interest (EOI) You must submit your EOI using the NSF-SBE UKRI expression of interest template (PDF, 160KB) . You must then email your completed EOI in PDF format to your chosen lead agency. If Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is the lead agency, you must email your EOI to sbeleadagency@ukri.

org If US National Science Foundation, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Directorate (NSF-SBE) is the lead agency, you must email your EOI to sbe-ukri@nsf.

gov the research teams that are involved bottom line estimates of funding at 100% FEC, to be requested from both NSF and UKRI (including all research-related and institutional administrative costs for the US budget request) the main objectives and research challenges of the proposed research the methodologies to be used the outputs, impact and beneficiaries The EOI template should not exceed either 1,000 words or two pages in length.

The EOI will be shared with the non-lead agencies to check for eligibility. Upon confirmation from the lead agency that the proposed collaborative research is appropriate for the NSF-SBE UKRI lead agency funding opportunity, researchers may submit a full research application to the lead agency.

If your EOI is accepted as falling within the scope of research typically reviewed by the NSF-SBE programme, as well as fitting within AHRC, we will invite you to submit a full research application. Applicants intending to apply through the UKRI/NSF Lead Agency Opportunity should be aware that the NSF has issued a Statement on NSF Priorities and guidance on the Implementation of Recent Executive Orders , which are updated regularly.

Additionally, you should be aware that processing timelines may be longer than usual through either the UKRI or NSF submission route. We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service, so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application. Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

Total costs requested from each funder within the full proposal budget should not vary from the total costs specified for each funder in the approved EOI by more than 10%, and you must justify any changes. We expect full applications to be submitted within one year of receiving EOI approval. If more time is needed for application preparation, an additional EOI may be required.

If you submit a full application prior to receiving EOI approval, the application will be rejected. If the NSF-SBE is the lead agency, you must submit your application via Fastlane, Grants. gov, or Research.

gov. To apply via the Funding Service Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this ‘UKRI Funding Finder’ page: Confirm you are the project lead. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers.

If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this ‘UKRI Funding Finder’ page. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.

Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

You should: use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words insert each new image onto a new line provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit) ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format Watch our research office webinars about the Funding Service .

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see: how applicants use the Funding Service how research offices use the Funding Service how reviewers use the Funding Service Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used.

Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application. References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied. For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment .

This funding opportunity is always open, with no closing date, so there is no specific deadline for applications. AHRC will begin the assessment process as soon as an application is received, ensuring that applicants receive a timely decision. AHRC is committed to holding regular decision points throughout the year.

Due to system limitations, a closing date will appear on the Funding Service. Please disregard this date while preparing your application and submit it when you are ready. Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment.

If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected. If your application is rejected and invited for resubmission, we aim to complete the assessment process within nine months of receiving your resubmission, rather than from the date of your original application. AHRC as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice . We will need to share the application (including personal information that it contains) with NSF-SBE so that they can participate in the assessment process.

For more information on how NSF-SBE uses personal information, visit the freedom of information act (FOIA) and privacy act . If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email enquiries@ahrc. ukri.

org Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include: individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave) additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection the application is an invited resubmission For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice .

Institutional matched funding There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations.

Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged. This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application. We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information.

Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: the challenge the project addresses potential applications and benefits List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: project co-lead (UK) (PcL) project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)) professional enabling staff research and innovation associate Only list one individual as project lead.

All US based applicants for whom funds are being requested from NSF-SBE must be listed as project co-lead international (PcL (I)). Any such individuals must be eligible for funding from NSF-SBE as their costs will not be covered by AHRC. Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications .

Discipline classification: primary Please provide the primary research area of your application. What the assessors are looking for in your response You must select only one of these research disciplines. This information will be used for the purposes of processing your application and in the selection of appropriate assessors.

The research disciplines are: cultural and museum studies drama and theatre studies information and communication technologies library and information studies political science and international studies theology, divinity, and religion Discipline classification: secondary Please describe, using keywords, the research area of your application and where relevant the approach, time period or geographical area.

What the assessors are looking for in your response This will further help with the selection of appropriate assessors. Please attach the NSF-SBE budget form (DOC, 226KB) , and the letter of support from the US institution.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Please upload as a single PDF, to include the following: a copy of the NSF-SBE budget form a copy of the letter of support from the US institution agreeing to the US partner’s involvement, and confirming eligibility of the US based project co-lead(s) under NSF-SBE criteria The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

Further documentation may be required by NSF-SBE, to be supplied by the US based project lead to complete the analysis of the application. What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how your proposed work: is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s) has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area is timely given current trends, context, and needs impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment Within the ‘Vision’ section we also expect you to: identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how you have designed your approach so that it: is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable) summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable) will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Applicant and team capability to deliver Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

This should cover all applicants including the US based team.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have: the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. The word limit for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work. Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed.

Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, including the US based team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI .

You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings: contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships contributions to the wider research and innovation community contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit As a minimum, all named members of the leadership team (including the US based team) should be discussed within this section of the form.

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV. References may be included within this section.

Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service. A project partner is a collaborating organisation or individual who will have an integral role in the proposed research.

This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.

Add the following project partner details: the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable) the project partner contact name and email address the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made. Project partners: letters (or emails) of support Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the ‘Project partners’ section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter ‘N/A’.

Each letter or email you provide should: confirm the partner’s commitment to the project clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them describe any additional value that they bring to the project have a page limit of two sides A4 per partner The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service. Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the ‘Project partners’ section. For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Do not provide letters of support from host, or project co-lead(s) research organisations, as well as other UK research organisations. Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI) What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated: the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations how you will manage these considerations If you are collecting or using data, you should identify: any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data) formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Resources and cost justification What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost? What the assessors are looking for in your response Use the resources and cost summary table to enter the full UK costs only.

The NSF-SBE budget form should include the NSF-SBE consolidated budget, therefore, you are not required to include US based researcher costs within this section. All US based applicants for whom funds are being requested from NSF-SBE must be listed as project co-lead international (PcL (I)). Any such individuals must be eligible for funding from NSF-SBE as their costs will not be covered by AHRC.

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular: significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences) any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities all facilities and infrastructure costs all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’ Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources.

Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for both the UK and US led elements of the proposed work: are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes maximise potential outcomes and impacts Additionally, where relevant you should explain: support for any project partner organisations We do not provide funding for individual items of equipment over £25,000.

Please read our research funding guide for further information. How we will assess your application We will assess your application using the following process, noting that all elements of your application form will be shared with the assessors.

At the point of application submission, each will be assessed on the following criteria: all applicants and named staff must be eligible under the funding opportunity requirements the application must meet the aims and criteria of the funding opportunity Applications which do not meet these criteria will be rejected with feedback on why it could not proceed.

For Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) led applications, we receive and assess your application on behalf of both organisations, AHRC and US National Science Foundation, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences Directorate (NSF-SBE). A decision will be made within our normal standard grant’s competition process, as outlined below, noting that NSF-SBE expert reviewers will be involved throughout the process.

We will invite three experts to independently review your application against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity. Applications that receive two unsupportive scores from the first two reviews will be rejected before a third review is sourced and will not proceed to the applicant response stage.

A review is considered unsupportive if it is marked as ‘not recommended for funding’ or ‘not suitable for funding’ (score one to three). If an application receives a fundable score in the first two reviews, a third review will be sourced. If you are invited to the applicant response stage, you will have 14 days to address the comments from the three reviewers and you may submit up to 500 words for each review.

Applications that receive an average review score of 4. 5 or below across the three sets of reviewers’ comments will be sifted out before the applicant response stage and will not proceed to panel. The only exception to this is if an application receives an average review score of 4.

5 or below but has two out of three review scores averaging 5. 5 or above (for example, two scores of 6, 6 or 6, 5). In this case, the application will proceed to panel, and the applicant will be given the opportunity to respond.

Following expert review, panel introducers will use the evidence provided by reviewers and your applicant response to moderate the quality of your application and rank it alongside other applications. After which the panel will make a funding recommendation. Both AHRC and NSF-SBE will approve the final funding decision.

Find out more about AHRC’s assessment process . We aim to complete the assessment process within nine months of receiving your application. Written feedback will only be provided in the form of the anonymised expert reviews and the final grade from the panel.

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity. Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision-making . We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Sharing data with co-funders We will need to share the application (including personal information that it contains) with NSF-SBE so that they can participate in the assessment process. For more information on how NSF-SBE uses personal information, visit the freedom of information act (FOIA) and privacy act .

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in peer review Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to safeguard. For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI .

The assessment areas we will use are: applicant and team capability to deliver ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI) resources and cost justification Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section. Get help with your application If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page.

Important note: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue.

Enquiries raised where information is available on the ‘UKRI Funding Finder’ opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible. For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact