Program

ESRC Doctoral Focal Awards

Funds large-scale doctoral training cohorts in social and environmental sciences to develop future university researchers.

Economic and Social Research CouncilUnited KingdomGrant

About

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…

Industries covered

AIClimate TechEnergy Tech

Grants under ESRC Doctoral Focal Awards

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.

Doctoral Focal Award: Environmental Evidence Synthesis

Closed

Supports United Kingdom doctoral researchers in environmental evidence synthesis with dedicated innovation research funding.

£8.1M pool