British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Grants for British-Australian Joint Projects with
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) and
The Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH)

Please print out these notes before submitting an application.

The British Academy's Agreements with the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian Academy of the Humanities support joint projects between scholars based in the UK and Australia in the fields of the humanities and social sciences. Visits in connection with joint projects may include jointly organised seminars, conferences or workshops as well as individual visits in either direction to undertake collaborative research.

Scope of awards

Eligibility

• Grants are available for advanced research at postdoctoral or equivalent level, in the fields of the humanities and social sciences.
• The principal applicant on the British side should be ordinarily resident in the UK.
• Other scholars associated with the project need not hold permanent positions, but will be expected to be of postdoctoral status.
• Awards will not be made retrospectively. Applications must be made in sufficient time for them to be considered and agreed by both Academies.

Level of award

• Up to £2000 from the British Academy for a project supported on the Australian side by either the ASSA or the AAH.
• Up to £4000 for projects involving both humanities and social sciences scholars, supported on the Australian side by both the ASSA and the AAH.
• The ASSA and AAH will each provide the equivalent of up to £2000 for the Australian partner(s).

Closing date

7 October 2009 (COB AEDT). Final decisions on support will be made jointly by both/all Academies.

Referees

All applications will be considered in the light of referees' comments. One reference is required for this scheme.  Your referee should be familiar with your project and able to comment on its significance and feasibility, and on your abilities. Please note that your referee should be drawn from outside your own employing institution and from outside the employing institution of your co-investigators. Failure to observe this rule will result in the application being ruled ineligible. (Scholars who have only very recently obtained postdoctoral status may, where necessary, be permitted to use an internal referee.)

Application procedure

• One application form should be submitted per project to the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Contact details and application forms can be found on the following website: http://www.assa.edu.au/programs/international/research_uk.php

Further information

• Priority will be given to supporting projects between groups of scholars who have not previously worked together, or new initiatives between groups of scholars who have collaborated in the past.
• It is expected that British funding will be made available to meet the travel expenses of British scholars travelling abroad and the accommodation and maintenance costs of foreign scholars visiting the UK.
• Applications will be considered by each side independently, and the sides will then consult on the final list of successful applications, before making a joint announcement.
• One award (of up to £8,000) for a project which covers both humanities and social sciences disciplines, or two awards (of up to £4,000 per project) will be available each year.
• Applicants applying to this programme may not submit simultaneous applications to the Academy's Small Research Grants scheme. Because the funding available under this programme is very limited, unsuccessful applications under this scheme may be referred to the Small Research Grants scheme for support.

Assessment criteria

Assessors will evaluate the proposal on the basis of its academic merit, taking into account its originality, its relationship to, and the volume of, research already in the field, the scholarly importance of the research proposed, the suitability of the methodology, the feasibility of the research programme, the specificity of the scheme of research, the presentation, and intended outcomes. Assessors will evaluate the ability of the investigator(s) to undertake the proposed research, taking into account their track record in terms of publication, their academic age and stage of career. Backlogs of publication (including any reasons given by applicants) may be taken into account in assessing the current proposal.

The primary assessment of quality will be based on the specific research objective of the proposal, and whether the methodology and research programme outlined are likely to lead to the successful achievement of the objective. The details of how the objective will be achieved - whether through research visits, use of research assistance, workshops, or any combination of eligible activities/costs - will be assessed only in relation to each individual application.

Assessors may take into account evidence of language competence where the understanding of material in a foreign language is crucial to the achievement of the research objective.

Comparative judgements about value for money may be taken into account at the final stage of assessment.

Code of Practice

The Academy has adopted a Code of Practice for assessing research applications, setting out the principles of equity, integrity and confidentiality governing the treatment of all applications for research support. Information regarding Data Protection, the Ethics Policy and the Appeals Procedure are to be found in the Code of Practice.

With regard to Data Protection, please note that a copy of a successful applicant's completed application form will be sent to the partner Academy. While the British Academy passes on this information in the understanding that it will be used solely for the purpose of liaison with regard to the project, applicants should be aware that some countries outside the European Economic Area may not provide an individual's data with the same protection as in the UK.

Feedback is not a feature of this programme, and the Academy is, regretfully, unable to enter into correspondence regarding the decisions of the awarding Committee, which are governed by the Code of Practice.

Submission of the signed application form constitutes the applicant's agreement to all terms, conditions and notices contained in the Notes for Applicants.

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Contact the International Relations Department for further advice.