Open Strategic Fund

Open Strategic Fund is sponsored by Nuffield Foundation. Research grants for original and ambitious projects addressing the UK's most pressing social and economic challenges.

Strategic Fund | Apply for Funding | Nuffield Foundation Research grants for original and ambitious projects that confront the scale and urgency of the UK’s biggest social and economic challenges Outline application deadline: TBC Our Strategic Fund supports new, transformative ideas that are capable of anticipating and addressing the most significant themes and developments shaping the UK public policy agenda.

With up to £15 million available, we invite proposals that respond to one or more of our five priority questions set out in our Strategic Review. These are major grants, typically in the range of £1-3 million each. As such, they should combine rigorous research with a clear focus on impact.

We are particularly keen to fund multidisciplinary work as well as experimental and innovative approaches with the aim of improving people’s lives in the UK. We expect every Strategic Fund proposal to address one or more of our five priority questions: How can we build a prosperous and fair society, where people are secure and can fulfil their potential? A fairer society and stronger economy should go hand in hand.

We will fund research and collaborate with partners to gain a deeper understanding of the interaction between economic performance and social problems, and how changes in one can drive progress in the other. How can we build an inclusive society, where people thrive and feel they belong, in the context of changing demography and ways of life?

We will work with researchers and other partners to help the UK respond to these shifts in ways that promote inclusion, opportunity and belonging. We aim to explore the drivers of demographic change, and the implications for state and society. How can we ensure that developments in science and technology work for people and society?

Building on the expertise of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the Ada Lovelace Institute, we will work with researchers and other partners to ensure that advances in science and technology are aligned with the public interest. How can policies to address climate change be developed in a way that promotes a prosperous, fair and inclusive society?

Climate policies are a new focus for us, and we are keen to work with researchers and other partners to understand their implications on people’s lives. Our interest is different from other funders, it is in the distributional consequences of climate strategies in the UK. How can we build and maintain the effective, accountable and trustworthy institutions that our society and democracy need?

We have a history of funding research into institutions, as well as incubating and building new capability, and a longstanding interest in justice as a pillar of a fair society. We are looking to build on these foundations and renew our focus on what makes for an effective institution.

See our Strategic Review in full We are looking for proposals that meet our assessment criteria: Relevance : Is the proposal relevant to at least one of the priority questions? Impact : Is there a clear path to how the research and related activities might make a difference to people’s lives? Rigour : Is the research methodology appropriate and rigorous?

Does it incorporate multidisciplinary perspectives? Experience : Does the team have the appropriate experience, expertise and potential, including the capacity to manage large, complex projects? Value for money : Is the budget requested appropriate, and does it offer good value for money?

Check our Strategic Fund Guide for Applicants for full details Individuals without formal employment or other relationship with the institution hosting the grant Projects led by individuals unaffiliated to any particular organisation Projects led by undergraduates or master’s students PhD fees or projects where the main purpose is to support a PhD The establishment of academic posts Ongoing costs or the costs of ‘rolling out’ existing work or services Check our Strategic Fund Guide for Applicants for full details The IFS Deaton Review of Inequalities The Economy 2030 Inquiry: navigating a decade of change This ambitious project is the first funded through the Nuffield Foundation’s Strategic Fund.

It... The Future of Work and Well-being: The Pissarides Review This project will research the implications of automation technologies and will examine how they... Applying to the strategic fund is a two-stage process.

Before submitting an outline application, you must check that our terms and conditions are acceptable to you and your host institution. Prospective applicants are welcome to send a one-page summary of their proposal to strategicfund@nuffieldfoundation. org to check on potential fit before applying.

We will only be able to review and respond to summaries submitted prior to the 1st February 2026.

Outline applications submitted (March 2026) Successful applicants invited to submit full application (June/July 2026) Peer review (August 2026) Applicants respond to comments (September 2026) Decisions on full applications made (November 2026) Applicants notified (December 2026) Earliest project start is January 2027 We ensure that all applications for Strategic grants are independently peer reviewed, including representatives from the policy and practice worlds, as well as research experts.

We require ethical scrutiny of proposals involving primary research, and evidence of a commitment to the communication of research findings. Trustees make final decisions on these applications. Frequently asked questions Is my topic suitable for a Strategic Fund grant?

Please read the strategic review to check your proposal’s suitability and alignment with our priority themes. If you require further guidance, we are happy to engage with potential proposals before application to advise on their suitability. Please send us a summary of no more than one page to strategicfund@nuffieldfoundation.

org . We particularly advise applicants intending to submit proposals in our newer areas of interest – specifically, the implications of climate action for different groups in UK society, and the future of institutions – to check alignment. Does a Strategic Fund project still need to fit into one of the three domains (Education, Welfare or Justice)?

No, Strategic Fund projects should address one or more of our priority questions. The questions build on and extend beyond our established areas of strength in education, economy, work and welfare, and justice. Does my project need to speak to more than one priority question?

Will my application be seen as less competitive if it only addresses one? No, your project does not have to address multiple priority questions, but every application must respond to at least one. If your proposal only addresses one question, it will not make it less competitive, so long as the project is ambitious and transformative, with a clear focus on impact.

For more information on the five priority questions, please see our strategic review. Do we have to have partners from different organisations? It is not mandatory that applicants should have partners from different organisations.

We do envisage that strategic proposals will work collaboratively across research, policy and practice and any application should set out a credible route to achieve this – which may or may not include formal partnership arrangements. We require all applications to the Strategic Fund to have a meaningful multidisciplinary element, whether within or across institutions.

We will look at whether the project proposed is structured in the best way to meet this requirement alongside its wider objectives. Is there scope to include partners from non-social science disciplines where their work would add value to the project? Yes, there is scope to include partners from non-social science disciplines.

This can extend beyond the academic or scientific elements of the work, and include working collaboratively across research, policy, and practice. It will be for applicants to demonstrate that the proposed project has the involvement of relevant parties needed to fully address its stated aims and achieve impact. Can academics on a fixed-term contract be a Principal Investigator?

Yes, they can still apply as a PI, if the host organisation can formally confirm that they will remain in post for the full duration of the grant. Would you consider more than one application from the same organisation? Yes.

We do not have an explicit limit on the number of outline proposals submitted by the same organisation. Outline applications that progress to the full application stage will be determined by their quality and fit with our strategic interests. It is possible therefore that more than one full stage application could be considered from the same organisation for the same deadline.

However, we encourage applicants to think about how to bring a wide-ranging, multidisciplinary approach to their proposals, such that they have the scope and ambition sought by the Strategic Fund. One approach might be to consider (for example) whether there are any opportunities for colleagues at an organisation to bring together related interests and collaborate, whether across departments or schools, or beyond the organisation.

Would you consider more than one application from the same applicant? No, we would not consider two proposals from the same applicant for the Strategic Fund.