Additional needs guidance notes
Please find below our guidance on completing an application for additional needs funding.
The British Academy has set aside specific funding to support additional needs that applicants and award holders may require. This funding would be in addition to the amount already requested for research expenses. Each request will be considered on a case-by-case basis. This additional financial support cannot be guaranteed but the British Academy is keen to be as inclusive as possible in supporting applicants and award holders with any additional needs to facilitate the best possible research. Some examples of what may be considered for this funding are:
- Specific equipment to overcome barriers to people with disabilities undertaking research.
- Assistance to allow applicants living with sensory impairment to carry out their research.
- Bids for the cost of child, parent or other caring responsibilities may be considered if the carer is conducting research away from home and it is not possible to make alternative arrangements.
Any other reasonable adjustments will be reviewed. In all cases, the Academy will need a case to be set out requesting this support, including a brief explanation as to why these needs cannot be met by the applicant’s employing or host university or research organisation.
This is a new initiative by the British Academy, and we will be evaluating the funding and the process in due course. Any feedback you may have on any aspect of the application process would be gratefully received.
This funding pot is available for both current award holders and applicants who would like to apply for an award but need support with submitting their application. Although applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the applicant must meet the following criteria:
- The applicant must be a current award holder on any British Academy scheme OR intending to apply for a British Academy award in the next 6 months
- If the applicant is not a current award holder, they must identify the scheme to which they intend to apply, and for which they need support applying for. The applicant must meet the eligibility requirements for the scheme they intend to apply for.
- If the applicant is a current award holder, the funds can only be used during the remaining time of the award.
- Funding cannot be applied retroactively, so any purchases made before application or while awaiting a decision on your application will not be eligible, even if included in your application.
- Items that we would reasonably assume would be covered by or available at your employing institution are not eligible for funding.
- Day to day childcare or other caring responsibilities costs are not eligible but caring costs necessary for research trips/leave would be considered eligible.
Applicants are advised to bear that we will aim to review these applications monthly, and will expected to get back to you within 4-6 weeks of submitting the application. Once your application is submitted, it will be checked for eligibility and reviewed by one of the British Academy’s committee members, considering the costs, the timescale and appropriateness against our eligibility criteria. Resulting recommendations will be considered by the Academy's Vice-President for Research and/or Chair of the Research Awards Committee and a final decision confirmed.
Applications can only be submitted online using the British Academy’s grants management system: Flexi-Grant®. Applicants should be aware that their application form will be considered by appropriate assessors. The application will be treated as confidential at all times.
Personal details: When registered in the British Academy Flexi-Grant® GMS, a user has the option to add or update personal information such as contact details, log-in details (including email address and password), interests, research and employment details, at any time. This does not form part of the specific application form for any individual scheme but represents a personal record of your account in the system. Please keep this information up to date.
- Automatic log-out : You are strongly advised to save your work regularly to prevent accidental loss of information. You should be aware that if the system does not detect any activity for 2 hours it will log out and save the application at that time. Please note that moving between pages within an application form will save the page that you are exiting but completing a field on a page is not considered an activity. It is recommended that you write the text for longer sections/fields in a word processor such as Word and then copy and paste into the relevant text box to avoid being timed out.
- Multiple sessions: You should not have multiple browser windows/tabs of your application open at the same time as this may cause information to be lost.
- Word limits: When completing boxes that have a restricted length (note that it refers to words) you should note that if you exceed the specified amount you will not be able to save when you press the save butt[DW1] [DW2] on. You should type the text for the longer-length boxes in a word processor. You will then be able to check the word count and paste it into the British Academy GMS. You will then still have a copy of the text to return to in the word processor. The word limit applies to text boxes.
- Plain text: If entering plain text, please avoid using symbols as some may not be accepted by the British Academy GMS. You should generate and view a PDF of your application to check that the application appears as you want it to by clicking on print application.
- Email addresses: The British Academy GMS relies heavily on automatic email contact. It is essential that you ensure you enter accurate email addresses where requested as it may cause considerable delay in the submission/processing of your application if any of these are incorrect. You cannot make changes to email addresses after your application has been submitted for approval.
- Submission: You will not be able to submit your application until you have completed each section in full.
- Application deletion: You can delete your application at any time although it is often a lot easier to just re-edit your existing application. We will be able to recover a deleted application for a period of 7 days after deletion. After this, it will be permanently removed from the system.
- Guidance: In the tables below, you will find in the left-hand column each question as set out in the application sections and in the right-hand column useful guidance on its completion.
- Further clarification: If any of this advice is unclear, or you need further information, please do not hesitate to seek clarification from the British Academy’s Research Awards Team.
Page 1: Contact details
Page 2: Personal statement & Justification
Page 3: Financial Details
Summary Table
When your application form is complete, all sections on this summary table will be marked as ‘Complete’. The ‘Complete’ status will only appear when all the mandatory fields in that section have been completed. All mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk ‘*’. Only then will a ‘Submit’ button appear for you to be able to submit your application.
Personal Statement
Personal Statement
In this field, please outline your reasoning for the additional funds. Applicants are invited to include any information relating to their professional career which they may wish to be considered in assessing this application. This statement will be taken into consideration by the reviewers to assess the funding needs.
CV
Please upload a copy of your most recent CV so we can check your eligibility against the scheme guidance.
Expected start date of funding
When do you expect the funding to start?
Expected end date of funding
When do you expect this funding to conclude?
Category of funding
Please select the category which most aligns with your need for the additional funding. If your request does not fit into any of the categories, then please select other.
British Academy Programme
If you are a current award holder, please include your reference number and select the scheme. If you are applying for support with an application, then please include the funding scheme you wish to apply for.
Value Sought
The total amount of funding requested
Financial Justification
Please give full detail to explain the financial summary in the table above. Please include as much detail as possible and include itemised costings.
Budget table
Please fill in the budget table within the appropriate category. If you are unsure then please use ‘Other’.
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. Feedback is not a feature of this programme, and the Academy is, regretfully, unable to enter 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.
Once your application has been submitted, you will not be contacted again by the British Academy until the decisions have been made. Results are issued by email and will be sent out within 1 month of your submission.
Applicants in any doubt about their eligibility or any other aspect of their application are advised to contact the Research Funding office at the Academy, where staff will be pleased to assist.
The British Academy Tel: 020 7969 5217
Research Awards Office
Email: [email protected]
10-11 Carlton House Terrace
London SW1Y 5AH