Strategic Fund

A fairer society and stronger economy should go hand in hand. We will fund research and collaborate with partners to gain a deeper understanding of the interaction between economic performance and social problems, and how changes in one can drive progress in the other.

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We will work with researchers and other partners to help the UK respond to these shifts in ways that promote inclusion, opportunity and belonging. We aim to explore the drivers of demographic change, and the implications for state and society.

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Building on the expertise of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the Ada Lovelace Institute, we will work with researchers and other partners to ensure that advances in science and technology are aligned with the public interest.

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Climate policies are a new focus for us, and we are keen to work with researchers and other partners to understand their implications on people’s lives. Our interest is different from other funders, it is in the distributional consequences of climate strategies in the UK.

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We have a history of funding research into institutions, as well as incubating and building new capability, and a longstanding interest in justice as a pillar of a fair society. We are looking to build on these foundations and renew our focus on what makes for an effective institution.

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Please read the strategic review to check your proposal’s suitability and alignment with our priority themes. If you require further guidance, we are happy to engage with potential proposals before application to advise on their suitability. Please send us a summary of no more than one page to strategicfund@nuffieldfoundation.org.

We particularly advise applicants intending to submit proposals in our newer areas of interest – specifically, the implications of climate action for different groups in UK society, and the future of institutions – to check alignment.

No, Strategic Fund projects should address one or more of our priority questions. The questions build on and extend beyond our established areas of strength in education, economy, work and welfare, and justice.

No, your project does not have to address multiple priority questions, but every application must respond to at least one. If your proposal only addresses one question, it will not make it less competitive, so long as the project is ambitious and transformative, with a clear focus on impact.

For more information on the five priority questions, please see our strategic review.

It is not mandatory that applicants should have partners from different organisations.

We do envisage that strategic proposals will work collaboratively across research, policy and practice and any application should set out a credible route to achieve this – which may or may not include formal partnership arrangements.

We require all applications to the Strategic Fund to have a meaningful multidisciplinary element, whether within or across institutions. We will look at whether the project proposed is structured in the best way to meet this requirement alongside its wider objectives.

Yes, there is scope to include partners from non-social science disciplines.

This can extend beyond the academic or scientific elements of the work, and include working collaboratively across research, policy, and practice. It will be for applicants to demonstrate that the proposed project has the involvement of relevant parties needed to fully address its stated aims and achieve impact.

Yes, they can still apply as a PI, if the host organisation can formally confirm that they will remain in post for the full duration of the grant.

Yes. We do not have an explicit limit on the number of outline proposals submitted by the same organisation. Outline applications that progress to the full application stage will be determined by their quality and fit with our strategic interests. It is possible therefore that more than one full stage application could be considered from the same organisation for the same deadline.

However, we encourage applicants to think about how to bring a wide-ranging, multidisciplinary approach to their proposals, such that they have the scope and ambition sought by the Strategic Fund. One approach might be to consider (for example) whether there are any opportunities for colleagues at an organisation to bring together related interests and collaborate, whether across departments or schools, or beyond the organisation.

No, we would not consider two proposals from the same applicant for the Strategic Fund.