Impact

ESRC Impact Acceleration Account

The University of Glasgow is one of 32 research organisations that have been awarded new ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) funding. We are delighted to have received £1.25 million of the overall £40m to maximise the impact of our social science research between 2023-2028.

What is an IAA?

IAAs are block awards destributed by UKRI Research Councils, which are aimed at accelerating the impact of academic research. Funded universities are able to deploy their IAAs in ways which best suit institutional strategies and local impact opportunities. 

What are the aims of the ESRC IAA at the UofG?

The overarching aim of our ESRC IAA is to enhance the impact of social science research through greater levels of external engagement. To do this we have committed to using our IAA funding to build skills and provide support for staff to engage in knowledge exchange work in a number of different ways. Our IAA concentrates on four priority themes:

  • Capacity-building, culture change and engagement - upskilling researchers and support staff in key aspects of knowledge exchange, engagement and impact; 
  • Partnership development - increasing the number and quality of our industry, government and third sector partnerships;
  • Commercialisation & entrepreneurship - increasing the economic impact of social science research through licensing and new commercial and social venture creation;
  • Mobility - increasing the two-way flow of people and expertise between academia and our external partners.

How can I access ESRC IAA funding? 

There are a number of routes towards accessing ESRC IAA support, outlined in the drop down sections below.

The appropriate funding stream will depend on the stage of your project's development, and what type of knowledge exchange activity you have in mind. 

For an initial chat about your project proposal, contact us at socsci-esrc-iaa@glasgow.ac.uk

 

 

ESRC IAA Applicant Guidance Notes (2024)

ESRC IAA Application Form (2024)

Previously Funded ESRC IAA Projects:

2014-16

2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

ESRC logo

User Engagement Fund

User Engagement Fund - up to £5k available

Status: OPEN

Deadline: 28th March

Outcomes communicated: 3rd May

The User Engagement Fund has been established in recognition of the idea that high levels of user engagement leads to more productive collaboration and effective, sustainable outcomes for academic and non-academic partners.

This fund provides up to £5k to support smaller-scale knowledge exchange activities, such as:

  • Early stage engagement or scoping activities with new or existing user-partners to co-design/co-develop projects with clear impact potential;
  • Projects which use existing or emerging research with users for impact;
  • Events or activities designed to identify suitable prospective partners.

Follow-on Fund

Follow-on Fund - up to £15k available

Status: OPEN

Deadline: 28th March

Outcomes communicated: 3rd May

The Follow-on Fund supports the development of innovative and experimental forms of knowledge exchange from existing or ongoing research (not just those projects previously funded by the ESRC).

Typically, follow-on fund projects build on existing researcher-user partnerships.

This fund provides up to £15k for larger-scale knowledge exchange projects with the potential for non-academic impact across all sectors.