From the ESRC website:

• promote and support, by any means, high-quality research and related postgraduate training on social and economic issues
• develop and support the national data infrastructure that underpins high-quality research
• advance knowledge and provide trained social scientists who meet the needs of users and beneficiaries, thereby contributing to the economic competitiveness of the UK, the effectiveness of public services and policy, and the quality of life
• Communicate clearly and promote public understanding of social science.

"Social science is, in its broadest sense, the study of society and the manner in which people behave and influence the world around us.

Social science tells us about the world beyond our immediate experience, and can help explain how our own society works – from the causes of unemployment or what helps economic growth, to how and why people vote, or what makes people happy. It provides vital information for governments and policymakers, local authorities, non-governmental organisations and others."

ESRC advise that in case of doubt applicants should request confirmation of suitability of themes using the remit query form and check the discipline classifications.

• Demography
• Development Studies
• Economic and social history
• Economics
• Education
• Environmental planning
• Human Geography (focuses on human activities and their impact, for instance on environmental change.)
• Linguistics (For ESRC this includes computational linguistics, psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, language acquisition and interdisciplinary social science research involving linguistics.)
• Management and business studies
• Politics and international studies
• Psychology (ESRC also covers elements of mental and public health.)
• Science and technology studies
• Social anthropology
• Social policy
• Social statistics, methods and computing
• Social work
• Socio legal studies
• Sociology

See AHRC page (remit and scope) to contrast areas of competence for some disciplines.

• UKRI's Strategy 2022-2027 transforming tomorrrow together is available online.
• The latest UKRI Corporate Plan 2022-2025 (August 2022): "UKRI’s corporate plan demonstrates how the world-class research and innovation UKRI supports will drive economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits for all."
• ESRC Strategic Delivery Plan 2022-25:

Strategic objectives

Budget

* Infrastructure projects are detailed separately below. Note that further infrastructure allocations to Councils may be made during the Spending Review period from the Infrastructure Fund, Digital Research Infrastructure Programme and Carbon Zero Fund Programme.

Notes

i. The figures provided in this document are in line with the 2022-23 – 2024-25 budget allocations for UK Research and Innovation. These are broken down by our budgeting and reporting categories, and exclude funding for ODA, Financial Transactions, and BEIS Managed Programmes. Figures are indicative and may vary over the course of the three-year period due to budget adjustments made as a part of on-going financial management and planning processes to maximise the use of our total funding.

ii. From 2022-23 UKRI talent investments are managed collectively across the Research Councils. The funding for collective talent activities outlined in this delivery plan are accounted for in the broader collective talent funding line included in our Corporate Plan.

When looking for successful applications, checking remit and disciplines will be basic steps when assessing the suitability of themes. A second step would be the ESRC priorities and strategies. Delivery plans and UKRI strategies could clarify ideas. Current ESRC priorities are highlighted online:

• climate change and sustainability
• data and analysis for decision making
• health, wellbeing and social care
• politics
• population and society
• public services
• the economy
• understanding the impact of COVID-19.

It is possible to influence funding areas by submitting a Big Idea addressing a major challenge or need.

ESRC Core:

• Research Grants Scheme
  This functions with no restrictions in terms of deadlines and topics, but within the ESRC remit. Proposals must be between £350K and up to £1 million full Economic Cost (fEC). 
• Large investments: 
  • Large Grants competitions
  • Research Centre competitions
  • Institutes
  • Networks
  • Groups
• New Investigator Awards
  The scheme targets early career researchers and runs on an annual basis, allowing themes related to other disciplines outside the ESRC remit up to a specific percentage. Grants from £100K to £300K fEC.
• Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDFs)
  Scheme newly introduced in 2018, aimed at early postdoctoral researchers to consolidate their PhDs through the development of publications, networks, research and professional skills.
• Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA) Awarded to institutions in block awards that are managed internally. The University of Manchester is a successful applicant to this scheme.
• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) Supporting knowledge exchange through a relationship between a company/organisation and research staff in a knowledge base institution. Further information can be found on the knowledge transfer page.

UKRI lead:

• Daphen Jackson Fellowship. Allowing those returning to a research career.
• Future Leaders Fellowship.  
• International partnerships: Brazil, US, Luxemburgh.

ESRC international (see international page)

• Co-investigator scheme
• Norface
• ORA
• TAP

Submission of proposals any time, open thematic areas within the ESRC remit.

During 2023 schemes are changing and also the Funding system to a Funding Service including a new submission tool replacing the Je-S. During this transitional time open calls are calling for deadlines for submission of proposals. Information available on the UKRI website:

• Improving your funding experience
• Simpler and Better Funding (SBF) programme 
• Council transition to the new Funding Service

Calls and changes will be followed and updates available on this website highlights and the UKRI funding finder website.

UKRI have announced a return to an open basis submission from early 2024 when the new Funding Service will be officially launched.

Funding schemes:

• Research Grants
• New Investigators grant
• Secondary Data Analysis Initiative (SDAI)

The ESRC includes in this section various joint schemes and proposal facilities to produce research with international partners and partnerships.

• Co-investigator policy. Participation of co-investigators from overseas. Specific awarding rules.
• Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). Supporting calls under the scope of the Official Development Assistance (ODA). One of the scheme's aims is to deepen interactions with other countries' organisations. The ESRC will fund projects under different schemes on a responsive and non-responsive basis: centres competition, fellowships, networks, tackling antimicrobial resistance, displacement call, etc.
• Newton Fund: The partnerships between UK and LICs and LMICs, under the scope of ODA. The basic difference between this and GCRF is the nature of the partnerships organised with the governments involved. With the Newton Fund, agreements with the participant countries/organisations is a pre-requisite and leverage is essential, therefore budgets and administrative responsibilities are separated. This Fund includes a wide array of schemes, from small travel and workshop grants to large calls for proposals.
• Open Research Area (ORA). International cooperation between the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Bi-annual calls normally. The ORA funds collaborative projects in the social sciences calling for specific thematic areas.
• NORFACE: A partnership of national research funding agencies in Europe and beyond in which the ESRC is the managing agency from the UK. Calls from NORFACE depend on agreements between countries or are a consequence of awards from the European Research Framework to high-level proposals involving various EU countries.
• EqUIP: the EU-India Platform for the Social Sciences and Humanities.
• Trans-Atlantic Platform (T-AP): a multilateral engagement between research funding agencies in Europe and America.
• JPI Urban. The ESRC participate in joint calls for multinational proposals with other European and non-European countries responding to ERA-NET awards and other international opportunities.
• Bilateral agreements: Brazil-FAPESP | USA-NSF | Luxemburg-FNR.

• Main page
• Remit
• Priorities
• Discipline classifications GAPs 
• Delivery Plans 
• UKRI corporate plan 2022-25
• Guidance for applicants
• Impact toolkit
• Funding information pages with all the available deadlines
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