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    Current Funding Opportunities

    This year we will be investing more than £63 million in funding research and developing the resources that underpin the UK's social science base. Our schemes enable individuals and groups to pursue world-class research in academic institutions and independent research centres throughout the UK. We also fund research not linked to strategic priorities but proposed by researchers, through our research grants and research fellowships schemes. All our funding investments are selected through peer review and are assessed through end of award evaluations. Below is a list of all research activities where applications are invited, with links to further information, application forms etc.

    For information on our responsive Research Grant Scheme, please see Research Grants.

    For information about postgraduate support, please go to the Postgraduate and Career Development section.

    There are also pages for forthcoming funding opportunities, and funding schemes related to Knowledge Transfer.

    If you are looking for information on funding calls which have passed their closing date, please visit the funding opportunities archive.

    Open funding calls (those with no fixed closing date), and "cross-Council" funding opportunities where the main information can be found on the website of one of our "sister" Research Councils, can be found below.

    Funding opportunities - by date posted

    The following opportunities are listed in order of the date they were posted, with the most recent listed first. You may also view these opportunities by closing date, or in alphabetical order.

    ESRC-DFID Joint Scheme for Research on International Development (Poverty Alleviation)

    The Department for International Development (DFID) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) jointly fund a scheme to provide a more robust conceptual and empirical basis for development, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). (Deadline for applications: 30 September 2010)

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    An ESRC Initiative on Collaborative Analysis of Micro Data Resources: China-South Africa Pathfinder Research Projects

    The ESRC invites applications under the Initiative on Collaborative Analysis of Micro Data Resources: China-South Africa Research Projects (termed Pathfinder Research Projects). Pathfinder Research Projects are aimed at building and strengthening research networks joining social scientists in China and South Africa with UK counterparts by fostering research collaboration and knowledge around the secondary analysis of existing microdata resources. (Closing date: 12 October 2010).

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    Lifelong Health and Wellbeing (LLHW) Phase 3

    Lifelong Health and Wellbeing (LLHW) is a major cross-council initiative involving AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC and MRC in partnership with the UK health departments. LLHW supports multi-disciplinary research addressing factors across the life course that influence healthy ageing and wellbeing in later life. LLHW has committed £16 million of joint funds so far in the first two phases of the programme supporting high quality multidisciplinary collaborative research, engaging with stakeholders and the public, building research capacity and promoting knowledge transfer. (Research Grants - Closing date of outline proposals: 30 June 2010. Pilot Studies - Closing date of proposals: 15 September 2010)

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    Open funding calls

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