Talent Development Awards 2025-26 in UK (Fully Funded)

The Talent Development Awards (2025–26), funded by the UK government via the British Academy, are designed to help UK-based researchers in the humanities and social sciences develop new skills, explore innovative methods, and forge collaborations. The scheme opens on 16 July 2025, and allows projects to run for 6 to 12 months, starting between 1 March and 31 March 2026.

Eligibility

• Must be ordinarily resident in the UK and hold a current long-term appointment at a UK university or independent research organisation, lasting throughout the award period.
• Eligible research must be humanities or social sciences-focused
• A PhD is not mandatory, applicants can apply with equivalent experience, such as a strong publication record or relevant research roles. The British Academy
• Co-applicants are allowed and may be UK-based or overseas; they can contribute specialist knowledge and need not meet eligibility criteria for the lead applicant

Program Dates/Location 

• Application Deadline: October 8, 2025, 17:00 BST
• Earliest start date: 1 March 2026
• Latest start date: 31 March 2026
• Project duration: Between 6 and 12 months

Program Benefits

• Maximum grant: £10,000
• Funding covers items such as:
  • Travel and subsistence for applicants and collaborators
  • Visiting teachers or speakers
  • Research or teaching assistants
  • Consumables (e.g. datasets, microfilms)
  • Specialist software and digital tools
  • Tuition for accredited short courses
  • Translation services, workshops, conferences
  • Conference attendance (if justified)
  • Consultancy or expert staff costs
  • Online dissemination tools
• Designed to enhance skills development, not to fund buy-out or salary for the award holder
• Additional funds may be available for extra support needs

Research Areas

• Open to all topics within humanities and social sciences
• Focus on quantitative skills, data science, digital humanities, languages, and interdisciplinary methods

Required Documents

• Development proposal: detailing your plan to build skills, apply new methods, and disseminate knowledge (as part of personal statement)
• CV and publication list, to demonstrate research track and expertise
• Referee or institutional approver details, you’ll need institutional approval via your approving organisation
• Budget and timeline, clearly outline how funds will be used (within the £10,000 limit and eligible cost categories) 

Application Process

• Submit applications through the British Academy’s Flexi-Grant® online system (GMS)
• Ensure your institution is approved by at least two weeks before the deadline to handle administrative sign-off
• Avoid working in multiple browser tabs, save your work often, and prepare longer text in a Word document before copying to the system to avoid timeouts
• You must submit your application for internal institutional approval at least five working days before the deadline to allow processing
• After submission, you can track progress in the Flexi-Grant system; results are emailed, typically by January 2026

For more information, please visit the Official British Academy's Talent Development Awards site.