BA Innovation Fellowships 2024-25 – Route B: Policy-led (Digital Society)

Notify Faculty of intention to apply by: 22 May 2024

Deadline: 26 June 2024

The British Academy is inviting applications for funding for a policy-led Innovation Fellowship (Route B), working with the Unit for Future Skills, an analytical and research unit within the Department for Education (DfE).

Successful applicants will work within specific policy areas set out by the DfE. Topics can include:

• the nature of the emerging AI skills in the UK, across sectors, regions, and career stages, and its future trajectories;
• the social, economic, and cultural impacts of the current distribution of AI skills in the UK, and the impacts of different strategies to improve this;
• the development and maintenance of effective AI skills partnerships;
• studies of alternative AI skills strategies, both from within the UK and abroad.

The list of topics above is not exhaustive, and in their applications researchers are welcome to make the case for other topics related to AI skills that they could work on. 

Eligibility

Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the UK with a current long-term appointment that will continue for at least as long as the period of the award at a UK-based institution (HEI or IRO); and be at early- or mid-career stage. 

Applicants are required to obtain a statement of support from their Head of Department as part of this application. This must be received before the application can be formally submitted for approval, and it is strongly advised to ensure that the Head of Department submits the statement well in advance of the formal application deadline.

The applicant also requires a reference from a referee not be based at the same employing institution as the Lead Applicant or the partner department.

Please see the scheme guidance notes for more details.

Duration and Value
Awards are for a period of 12 months, with a maximum award value of £120,000 on an 80 per cent Full Economic Costing (FEC) basis. The Applicant must commit between 0.4 and 0.8 FTE time to the Fellowship. Awards are expected to commence between 1st and 31st October 2024.

How to Apply
Applications can only be submitted online using the British Academy Flexi-Grant® Grant Management System (GMS). The deadline for submissions and UK host organisation approval is 26 June 2024 (17:00 BST). 

Internal Deadlines

Research Services: 19 June 2024

Notify Faculty of intention to apply by: 22 May 2024