APEX Awards Nominations Announced (UK)

The APEX Awards (Academy Partnership Supporting Excellence in Interdisciplinary Research) pursue truly interdisciplinary and curiosity-driven research to independent researchers with a solid track record in the field and a proven ability to lead collaborations. It offers an exciting opportunity to do just that. It benefits wider society. The successful candidate will be expected to work collaboratively with relevant researchers in other disciplines.

target

• The goals of this plan are to:
  • Promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, with particular emphasis on boundaries between science, engineering, social sciences and humanities.
  • We support outstanding interdisciplinary research that is difficult to support through traditional funding programs.
  • We support researchers with an outstanding track record of advancing their research in new directions through collaboration with partners from other disciplines.
  • Priority areas to help outstanding researchers focus on advancing innovative research through seed funding

Topics Covered

• British Academy Remit – In all academic disciplines within the social sciences and humanities, creative and professional practice may, in some cases, play an important role in shaping research methods and/or results. All proposals, whether practice-oriented or not, require a clear academic rationale for the choice of research methods, processes, and results.
• Royal Academy of Engineering Remit – applications from all engineering disciplines are welcomed. Engineering is defined in the broadest sense, encompassing a variety of fields such as computer science and materials.
• Remit of the Royal Society – the natural sciences (including agriculture, mathematics, technology, computer science, materials, medicine, environment and engineering sciences, but excluding clinical medicine).

funds information

• Support: Up to £200,000 to cover staff costs for the largest applicant and co-applicants, as well as related research costs up to 25% of the total grant amount.
• Applicants may also request funding (up to £10,000), including an award of up to £200,000, to support public engagement activities related to the APEX proposal.
• The awards are expected to open between October 1 and December 31, 2025, and could be held for up to 24 months.

Eligibility Criteria

• The scheme is open to applicants of all nationalities.
• Applicants must be outstanding researchers with a strong track record as independent researchers (including engineering researchers, humanities and social science scholars, and scientists).
• Applicants must be working with a research partner (co-applicant) from another discipline, based at the same institution or at another university in the UK. All applications must be supported by the applicant’s department chair, who must provide assurance that the researcher will be permitted to use the institution’s facilities and be released/partially released from teaching duties (if required) for the duration of the award. .
• Applications must be within the remit of more than one academy. For example, applications across the confines of the British Academy and the Royal Academy of Engineering are encouraged, but applications within the confines of just one academy are not accepted.
• Applicants may submit only one application per round. Previous award holders may apply, but reapplications must be new projects and not follow-up projects from previous awards.
• Host Organization Eligibility
  • Applicants must be based at a UK university or non-profit research organization for at least the duration of the project.

Evaluation criteria

• Key considerations during the evaluation process include:
  • Applicant’s strong track record in science and/or engineering/or social sciences and/or humanities and demonstrated track record in collaborative research.
  • Interdisciplinary research collaboration and team strengths
  • The quality, novelty and potential of the proposed interdisciplinary research project.
  • The potential of the proposed project to enable the applicant to develop new directions in research and establish new tools, methodologies or applications derived from synergies across different disciplines.
  • The feasibility of the proposal and whether the applicant recognizes the unique risks of failure associated with this type of research and strategies to minimize these risks.

For more information, please visit: Royal Society.