About the opportunity
What this programme is offering
Focus on Global Interdisciplinary Research
The International Interdisciplinary Research Projects programme is designed to encourage collaboration between researchers from different disciplines and countries to address complex global challenges through humanities and social sciences-led research.
The Academy emphasized that all projects must demonstrate genuinely interdisciplinary collaboration and be firmly grounded in humanities and social sciences perspectives, even where STEM disciplines are involved.
The programme forms part of broader efforts to strengthen international research cooperation while improving understanding of how mobilities shape societies, governance systems, economies, cultures, and political environments globally.
According to the British Academy, successful projects are expected to explore how the movement of people, ideas, materials, technologies, and narratives influence social change, policy development, and international relationships.
Research Themes Under the Mobilities Programme
The 2027 funding round focuses specifically on the broad theme of “Mobilities,” which the Academy describes as the movement of people, things, and ideas across geographical spaces, communities, and historical periods.
The Academy outlined two major thematic areas under the programme.
People, Materials and Things
The first theme focuses on understanding the movement of people and the circulation of materials across societies and historical contexts.
Researchers are encouraged to examine issues such as migration, trade networks, material culture, transportation systems, resource flows, and the historical movement of goods and populations.
The Academy noted that projects can explore movement both across physical spaces and over time, encouraging historically informed and globally relevant research approaches.
Ideas, Narratives and Innovation
The second theme seeks research that examines how ideas, political narratives, protest movements, technologies, and innovations spread within and across societies.
Projects may investigate how social, political, technological, or cultural changes are shaped by communication, networks, historical connections, and patterns of knowledge exchange.
The Academy stated that this theme is intended to support research exploring the spread of ideas and innovations across borders, communities, institutions, and generations.
Supporting Humanities and Social Sciences Research
The British Academy emphasized that the programme is specifically intended to strengthen humanities and social sciences research while encouraging collaboration with other disciplines where relevant.
Science
Eligible projects may involve partnerships across SHAPE disciplines — Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy — as well as STEM disciplines, provided the overall project leadership and intellectual grounding remain rooted in humanities and social sciences perspectives.
The Academy particularly encouraged applications led by humanities researchers.
Collaboration & Conferencing Software
According to programme guidance, interdisciplinary collaboration must be meaningful and integral to the research design. Applications that fail to demonstrate genuine interdisciplinarity or humanities and social sciences leadership will not be considered eligible.
Funding Value and Project Duration
The programme offers funding of up to £300,000 per project over a two-year period.
The funding is provided at 80 percent Full Economic Costing (FEC), meaning the total Academy contribution cannot exceed £300,000, while the total project value at 100 percent FEC cannot exceed £375,000.
The funding can be used to support:
Principal Investigator and Co-Applicant time
Postdoctoral or equivalent research assistance
International collaboration activities
Travel and fieldwork expenses
Networking and partnership-building activities
Knowledge exchange and dissemination efforts
Projects are expected to begin in March or April 2027 and continue for up to 24 months.
Eligibility Requirements for Applicants
According to the British Academy, the Principal Investigator (PI) must be based at an eligible UK university or research institute and hold a position lasting at least the duration of the proposed award.
Applicants must be at postdoctoral level or equivalent and commit at least 20 percent of their time to the project.
International
How to apply