Major funders
Latest guidance for the main funders of academic research at Oxford
If you are thinking of putting together a grant application, please get in touch with your departmental administrator and research facilitator as soon as possible (at the very latest four weeks before the deadline), so that they can provide advice and assistance with the preparation of your proposal. The sooner you get in touch, the more they will be able to help.
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Data management plan requirements
- Step-by-step guide to the Je-S online application process
AHRC funding guidance
See the UKRI website for current funding opportunities
Pilot call using the new UKRI Funding Service
UKRI Funding Service pilot is the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) New Generation Thinkers call. The call was published 29 June 2020, will be open from 20 August 2020, and closes on 1 October 2020. Webinars will be held on the scheme and using the new system in July, August and September. Any questions or queries about the AHRC New Generation Thinkers pilot should be directed to the UKRI Funding Service helpdesk or the helpline: 01793 442900.
Oxford Funding Guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Data management plan requirements
- Step-by-step guide to the Je-S online application process
BBSRC funding guidance
See the UKRI website for current funding opportunities.
Oxford funding guidance
- Programme grant guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Data management plan requirements
- Step-by-step guide to the Je-S online application process
EPSRC funding guidance
See the UKRI website for current funding opportunities
Scheme specific guidance
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Data management plan requirements
- Step-by-step guide to the Je-S online application process
ESRC funding guidance
See the UKRI website for current funding opportunities
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Data management plan requirements
- Step-by-step guide to the Je-S online application process
- Advice for medical research grants applications
MRC funding guidance
See the UKRI website for current funding opportunities.
See also: Funder reports on Oxford
Important information for NERC Responsive Mode rounds
NERC are currently implementing demand management measures whereby the number of applications for Responsive Mode rounds is capped by institution. If you would like to apply to the next round you should contact your departmental administration team immediately.
Scheme specific guidance
- NERC responsive mode guidance 2020
- NERC Independent Research Fellowships guidance 2022
- NERC Independent Research Fellowships Notes for applicants 2022
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Data management plan requirements
- Step-by-step guide to the Je-S online application process
NERC funding guidance
See the UKRI website for current funding opportunities
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Data management plan requirements
- Step-by-step guide to the Je-S online application process
STFC funding guidance
See the UKRI website for current funding opportunities
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Step-by-step guide to British Academy's online application process
British Academy funding guidance
See the British Academy's website for funding opportunities
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Step-by-step guide to BHF's online application process
- Advice for medical research grant applications
BHF funding guidance
For news and funding opportunities see BHF's Researcher Notice Board
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Data management plan requirements
- Step-by-step guide to CRUK's online application process
- Advice for medical research grant applications
CRUK funding guidance
Search the CRUK website for funding schemes
Scheme specific guidance
- Leverhulme Research Fellowships 2022
- Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships 2023
- Leverhulme Research Fellowships: X5 factsheet for costing teaching replacements
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Step-by-step guide to Leverhulme's online application process
Leverhulme Trust funding guidance
See the Leverhulme Trust's website for details of grant schemes
Scheme specific guidance
- Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships guidance 2023
- Royal Society University Research Fellowships guidance 2022
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Step-by-step guide to Royal Society's online application process
- Advice for medical research grant applications
Royal Society funding guidance
See the Royal Society's website for grant scheme opportunities
Scheme-specific guidance
- Wellcome Career Development Awards guidance
- Wellcome Early Career Awards guidance
- Wellcome Discovery Awards guidance
Oxford funding guidance
- Open access requirements at Oxford
- Step-by-step guide to Wellcome's online application process
- Data management plan requirements
- Advice for medical research grant applications
Wellcome funding guidance
See Wellcome's scheme finder for funding opportunities
Oxford funding guidance
The Oxford Global Research website has specific guidance on European Commission funding.
Research Services' European & International team has produced guidance:
- Scheme specific pages
- EC specific X5 guidance
- Additional support (covering data management, open access, gender issues etc)
- Step-by-step guide to the online application process
EC funding guidance
- Horizon 2020 guidance (work programmes)
- The Participant Portal gives guidance on funding opportunities and how to apply
See the EC's Participant Portal to find a call.
Oxford funding guidance
- Open Access requirements at Oxford
- Data management plan requirements
- Step-by-step guide to NIH's online application process
NIH funding guidance
Search the NIH website for funding opportunities
See also
Funding from federal agencies in the United States has become an important part of the research funding portfolio at Oxford. Our researchers have been successful in securing grants from a range of US federal agencies.
Here is a selection of federal agencies that may offer the greatest opportunities for researchers at Oxford (in terms of scale of funding available and/or its availability to non-US organisations):
- Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
- Department of the Air Force: Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
- Department of the Army (The Department of the Army and other Department of Defense agencies fund across a range of disciplines including medical programmes related to the public as well as the military). See also:
- Department of the Navy: Office of Naval Research (ONR)
- Department of Education (DOED)
- Department of Energy, see also:
- Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), excluding NIH. See also:
Advice for finding funding
All federal grant funding opportunities are advertised on Grants.gov, the electronic system through which applications for grant funding are usually submitted. The search grants section will allow you to search for opportunities under all US agencies.
Some federal agencies also fund through research contracts. These are advertised on the agencies’ own websites and on FebBizOpps and FedConnect.
Submitting applications
See our step-by-step guide to submitting NIH applications.
It is strongly advised to talk to the programme official/scientific officer when considering the preparation of a proposal. Programme officials can give good advice on the potential fit of your proposal to the agency’s call and discuss how to address any particular application requirements (eg the foreign component justification of an NIH proposal led by a non-US organisation).
For further information or advice on these funders please contact your Research Services divisional team.