ESRC Doctoral Focal Awards
Funds large-scale doctoral training cohorts in social and environmental sciences to develop future university researchers.
ESRC Doctoral Focal Awards are large institutional grants that fund thematic cohort doctoral training programmes. Two variants are active in the 2026 cycle: an Environmental Evidence Synthesis award (joint NERC-ESRC, up to £4,072,000 per award, funding up to two awards, closing 15 July 2026) and a Data-Driven Research Plus award (ESRC-only, £5,750,000 total, pre-announced for June 2026 open). Each award funds 30 notional studentships across three annual intakes. These are institutional bids, not individual researcher applications. Applications require partnerships with business, public, and voluntary/community/social enterprise (VCS) sectors. Funders run an annual cycle with thematic priorities specified per competition.
Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.
Supports United Kingdom doctoral researchers in environmental evidence synthesis with dedicated innovation research funding.
Supports United Kingdom doctoral data science teams with fellowships for evidence methods and innovation.