ESRC Responsive Mode Secondary Data Analysis
Supports United Kingdom social science teams with secondary data analysis grants for fast, low-cost innovation.
ESRC Responsive Mode Secondary Data Analysis grants fund social science and economics research that exploits existing datasets — UK or international, qualitative or quantitative — rather than collecting new primary data. Applications are submitted at any time via the UKRI Funding Service with no fixed deadline; the current active round is Round Two, open since 29 September 2023. Awards are capped at £300,000 at full economic cost (FEC), with ESRC funding 80%. The maximum project duration is 24 months, which is notably shorter than ESRC's other responsive-mode grant tracks, which run up to five years. Applications must be submitted by the host research organisation; project leads must be based at UK research organisations eligible for ESRC funding.
The scope explicitly excludes primary data collection as a primary activity, as well as literature reviews, conference attendance, general travel, expeditions, book and publication preparation, curriculum development, and software development as standalone goals. The research must use pre-existing data resources in a way that generates new social or economic insight. Methodological development projects are permitted where the method directly serves analysis of existing data. Social sciences must account for more than 50% of the research focus. Non-UK organisations cannot serve as project lead. Any career stage is eligible, and joint applications with a designated project lead are permitted.
This scheme is suited to teams with access to rich administrative data, longitudinal surveys, international comparative datasets, or large qualitative archives that have not been fully exploited for social science purposes. The 24-month cap and £300,000 ceiling make it the smallest and most focused track within ESRC's responsive-mode portfolio — appropriate for well-defined analytical questions with clear data access already in place. ESRC has signalled that the responsive-mode suite will be refreshed towards the end of 2026 and into 2027; applicants should verify current status before applying.
Research exploiting existing qualitative or quantitative data resources. Social sciences must be more than 50% of research focus. Primary data collection is excluded as a primary activity.
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