Research & Innovation Services

The two central objectives for the fund are:

• To support the development of early-stage projects in the arts, humanities and social sciences that are seeking to deliver sustainable impact at scale via potential commercial opportunities. This can be done through potential new ventures, licensing opportunities, or other commercial possibilities that support creative, community, policy, economic, social or technological impact.
• To extend collaborative activity between the UofG, the GSA, the RCS and GCU and their staff, and to develop innovative ways of working in partnership on projects with an entrepreneurial outlook.

* Venture in this context is defined as a company backed by the academic institution and underpinned by academic research or academic expertise.

You can apply for the Creative and Social Futures Fund by completing the Creative and Social Futures Fund Application Form and emailing it to the following institutional offices:

• University of Glasgow - innovation@glasgow.ac.uk

• Royal Conservatoire - D.Keogh@rcs.ac.uk

• Glasgow School of Art - duncan@gsa.ac.uk

• Glasgow Caledonian University - Andrew.Campbell@gcu.ac.uk 

To learn more about the fund, join us for our online application workshops on the 12th November (2pm-3pm) and 26th November (11am-12pm): TBC

This fund is intended for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences researchers within the University of Glasgow, The Royal Conservatoire for Scotland, the Glasgow School of Art and Glasgow Caledonian University. Arts and Humanities eligibility is defined by the disciplines in the AHRC criteria but also includes visual, performing and production arts. Social Sciences eligibility is defined by the ESRC criteria.

Eligibility requirements for the fund are as follows:

• Applicants must be eligible to apply for a research grant or KE project funding under their respective institutional rules and have an employment contract that extends beyond the end of the project.
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate their ability to engage with alternative funding models and opportunities, such as ventures, licensing and social enterprise.
• The idea, concept, or opportunity must not be committed to a third party to ensure a clean slate regarding the intellectual property.

The Creative and Social Futures Fund will provide from £8,000 to £15,000, depending on the stage of the project and the activities that are being undertaken.

The funding may be used to pay for the direct costs of developing the scope of an idea, concept or opportunity; undertaking a proof-of-concept study; research to develop the business proposition including validation of interest from stakeholder; and/ or external research associated with developing the project.

Please note that the fund cannot be used for academic research, the development of tools exclusively for use in further research; PI salary costs; or PhD costs associated with studentships.

Please contact the below offices for further advice on eligibility, suggested activities, and financial costing:

• University of Glasgow - innovation@glasgow.ac.uk

• Royal Conservatoire - D.Keogh@rcs.ac.uk

• Glasgow School of Art - duncan@gsa.ac.uk

• Glasgow Caledonian University - Andrew.Campbell@gcu.ac.uk 

For more information on applications please refer to the Creative and Social Futures Fund application guidance.

Call for 2025/26 round: Fund opens 5th November 2025:

• University of Glasgow - innovation@glasgow.ac.uk

• Royal Conservatoire - D.Keogh@rcs.ac.uk

• Glasgow School of Art - duncan@gsa.ac.uk

• Glasgow Caledonian University - Andrew.Campbell@gcu.ac.uk 

Applicants should write their proposal for a non-specialist audience and avoid using discipline-specific terminology and acronyms.

Applications will be processed in two stages:

• Stage 1: The applicant’s institution will carry out an initial review of the proposed project to determine its eligibility for the fund.
• Stage 2: Applications deemed eligible by the applicant’s institution will be subsequently reviewed by a panel consisting of the fund partners and external experts.

Applications will be assessed according to a set of criteria, which broadly encompass:

1. Suitability of the project for the Creative and Social Futures Fund
2. Entrepreneurial potential and scaling impact
3. Realism of the project plan
4. Project deliverables

There are two central qualities that we welcome in your applications:

• Engagement with an entrepreneurial outlook, even at the early stages, for example being willing to have discussions with potential users and customers and giving consideration to potential ways of de-risking the project.
• A focus on partnerships, especially those involving co-creation and collaboration between the Glasgow School of Art, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Glasgow

On completion of the project, fund awardees will provide a summary report and be available for discussions with their respective institutions.

If the project spend is higher than the budgeted amount, the Fund will not contribute towards the additional costs. If, on completion of a project it is found that the project is under-budget, these allocated funds will be returned to the Fund for re-allocation.