Start-Up Grant Scheme

Start-Up Grant Scheme is sponsored by Regional Studies Association. This scheme is designed to build research capacity in emerging economies and the Global South in regional and urban research.

Funding & Awards - RSA Main Microsoft has discontinued support for Internet Explorer , which means it doesn't use modern web technologies, and some pages won't display correctly. Chrome for the best viewing experience.

The opportunities below provide members with the chance to apply for financial help to support their work, run networking events, receive awards for excellence, receive help towards the costs of travel to attend both RSA and non-RSA events, and present their work to international audiences. Please click here for the RSA prioritised research themes.

For a summary of all RSA grant opportunities, please see our Funding Flyer Knowledge and Policy Exchange Grant (KPEG) KPEG is a pilot small-grants scheme open to RSA Individual and Early Career members affiliated to a Higher Education Institution. Awards of up to £2,500 support projects of 3–12 months that deliver direct, practical benefit to a non-academic beneficiary organisation.

The RSA Knowledge and Policy Exchange Grant (KPEG) funds short, impactful collaborations between RSA members and non-academic organisations. If you have expertise relevant to a charity, local authority, community group, or policy body, KPEG provides the resources to make that exchange happen. Membership Research Grant Scheme (MeRSA) Value: up to £5,500 (c.

$7,300; c. €6,200) Application Deadline (Expression of Interest): 3rd March 2027 Recognising excellence in regional studies and regional science, this grant supports outstanding individual researchers who have already published in the field and are current RSA members. Awards of up to £5,500 (c.

$7,300; c. €6,200) run for a maximum of 18 months, subject to reporting conditions. Full terms are available in the MeRSA Handbook.

Fellowship Research Grant Scheme (FeRSA) Value: up to £8,250 (c. $10,900; c. €9,400) Application Deadline (Expression of Interest): 3rd March 2027 Recognising established researchers and long-standing members, this grant supports Fellows of the RSA undertaking a discrete piece of research in regional studies and/or regional science.

Open exclusively to Fellows, individual members with a minimum of five years’ continuous membership who have contributed to the life of the Association, awards run for a maximum of 18 months, subject to reporting conditions. Full Terms are available in the FeRSA Handbook. Early Career Research Grant Scheme Value: up to £11,000 (c.

$14,600; c. €12,500) Application Deadline (Expression of Interest): 3rd March 2027 Recognising early career researchers, this grant supports individual applicants based within an eligible higher education institution undertaking a discrete piece of regional studies and/or regional science research. Open to those with no more than 5 years between the date shown on their certificate and the application deadline.

Awards run for a maximum of 18 months, subject to reporting conditions. Full Terms are available in the EC Handbook. Application Deadlines: 3rd March and 15th September 2026 Marking 60 years of the Regional Studies Association last year, the Start-Up Grant Scheme was launched to reflect our ongoing global commitment to advancing regional and urban research and sharing its findings widely.

Designed to build research capacity in emerging economies and the Global South, the scheme remains open to regional and urban researchers in RSA membership Bands C and D. Value: up to £16,500 (c. $21,800; c.

€18,700) Application deadline (Expression of Interest): 24 November 2026 Supporting research with real-world impact, this scheme funds Expos addressing issues that are current and significant to society.

Expo teams investigate how the communities of regional studies, regional science, urban studies and related fields can respond to new societal challenges and opportunities, producing a policy-facing book of approximately 30,000 words (plus an accompanying article) that addresses policy-relevant questions and outlines avenues for influencing policy and practice.

Research Network Grant Scheme The maximum funding for Research Networks is: £11,000 (c. $14,600; c. €12,500) for newly established networks £8,250 (c.

$10,900; c. €9,400) for renewing networks. Application deadline: 12 October 2026 Bringing together RSA members with shared interests, RSA Research Networks are formed when members collaborate to examine an issue that aligns with the Association’s key priorities and matters to both members and non-members.

These issues need not have a direct policy focus, though examination would normally lead to policy-related conclusions. Value: up to £550 (c. $730; c.

€620) Recognising the importance of attending and presenting at events, this grant supports individual members travelling to an RSA or non-RSA event within the field of regional studies and/or regional science, covering associated travel costs.

Application deadline: 1st April 2026 and 15th September 2026 Recognising barriers to participation, conference bursaries take the form of reduced fees or fee waivers and are available for most RSA conferences*. Open to RSA members, precedence may be given to new researchers or to those from countries with recognised funding difficulties. *Depending on funding availability.

Applying for grants can be a stressful and difficult. One this page, some of our our members who have successfully applied for grants share their top tips for applications. Small Grant Scheme on Pandemics, Cities, Regions & Industry Value: up to £4,000 (c.

$5,300; c. €4,700) Recognising the global impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19), this grant scheme supported the RSA’s global community in researching and disseminating evidence on how regions, cities, and industry addressed the pandemic. The funding aimed to promote research and dissemination both within and across transnational borders, furthering the Association’s strategy.

This grant scheme closed in 2022 and is no longer accepting applications. Student and Early Career Awards 2027 The Regional Studies Association is now accepting nominations for the 2027 Awards, recognising outstanding contributions in regional studies and related fields. We welcome both self-nominati… In 2026, we highlighted original and inspiring research that sheds light on important regional issues.

Our award ceremonies were held virtually, bringing together a global audience to celebr… In 2025, we were excited to shine a spotlight on original and inspiring research that helps us better understand regional issues.

Every award ceremony was hosted online, allowing people from… In 2024 we continued to celebrate the research and work that has made an original and outstanding contribution to research concerned with the analysis and regional issues. This year, some of… In 2023, we continued to celebrate the research and work that has made an original and outstanding contribution to research concerned with the analysis of regions and regional issues.

This y… In 2022, we continued to celebrate the research and work that has made an original and outstanding contribution to research concerned with the analysis of regions and regional issues. This y… In 2021, we continued to celebrate the research and work that has made an original and outstanding contribution to research concerned with the analysis of regions and regional issues.

Sir Pe… Within these unprecedented times, we feel that it is important to remember to celebrate the research and work that has been carried out in regional studies and its related fields, including … The Awards ceremony took place at the President’s Event on 14th November 2019 in London, UK. Please click here to view the photos.

We are proud to announce the 2019 RSA Awards Winners: Sir P… The Association’s guiding mission is to be the world’s leading community of scholars, policy makers and practitioners in regional studies, and to support them in using their work to promote … Please see below the winners of the 2017 RSA Awards: Student and Early Career Awards Nathaniel Lichfield Award – Esma Aksoy, Middle East Technical University, Turkey; Luka Miladinovic,… We are pleased to present the RSA Awards Winners 2016: Nathaniel Lichfield Award David Kingman Bartlett School of Planning, UCL, UK ‘How is the Planning System Addressing the Shortage of Sch… For articles published in 2014: Best Referees for Regional Studies Lisa de Propris (University of Birmingham, UK) Robert Hassink (University of Kiel, Germany) Elvira Uyarra (University of Ma… Best Book Award 2014 Voted for by the Regional Studies Association membership from a list of titles published in 2013: Dr Tassilo Herrschel, University of Westminster, UK Book title: Cities,… Best Book Award 2013 Voted for by the Regional Studies Association membership from a list of titles published in 2012: Professor Nicola Bellini, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy Professor M… Best Referees Regional Studies 2012 Voted for by the editors of Regional Studies.

Eckhardt Bode, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Germany Joaquin Azagra Caro, Institute of Management of… Introduced to celebrate excellence, our winners for the 2011 RSA Awards are: Routledge RSA Award for Early Career Excellence 2011 This year, the jury decided to award the prize to two candid… Introduced to celebrate excellence, our winners for the 2010 RSA Awards are: Sir Peter Hall Award 2010 (Formerly known as the Contribution to the Field Award) Name: Professor John Bachtler I… Policy .

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