Stirling Social Science Impact Acceleration Account

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) at the University of Stirling involves:

• Five-year funding (2023-2028) from the ESRC.
• An institutional block award totalling £1.25 million, which we will use flexibly to build and amplify the impact of social science research across the university.
• Activities that enhance knowledge exchange, innovation, and commercialisation skills.
• Events that celebrate and engage the public with Stirling’s social science research, including as part of the UK-wide ESRC Festival of Social Science each year.

You can read more in the press release announcing and welcoming this new IAA funding.

The IAA focuses on upskilling and developing the capacity of academics and PhD researchers, promoting ideas and actions to bring about change, and benefiting the diverse range of people we work with.

The types of activities and opportunities within the Stirling Social Science IAA include:

• a training and capacity building programme: data analysis and decision-making, policy engagement, co-production, innovation, commercialisation and social entrepreneurship;
• interdisciplinary incubation events and crucibles: sparking ideas and connecting social scientists with a range of other disciplines, sectors and partners;
• an impact-accelerating funding programme that social scientists across Stirling can apply for;
• a people exchange scheme of placements and collaboration;
• an awards programme of high-profile lectures and impact innovation award prizes;
• an events programme and public engagement festivals celebrating social science.

The IAA Funding Programme offers a number of pathways to support impact development from an early exploratory phase to its maturity. We invite applications for activities including non-academic user engagement, impact acceleration, innovation and commercialisation as well as knowledge exchange and people movement. The 2024-2025 call for proposals under the IAA Funding Programme is now open. The deadline for proposals is Thursday 31 October 2024.

Themes and Focal Points in 2024-25

Through its funding calls in 2024-2025 the IAA seeks to support impact development under these key themes:   

• Missions in the University Research and Innovation Strategy. We invite projects that respond to the University Research and Innovation missions and priorities to make:
  • Meaningful improvements in all kinds of space and landscapes;
  • Meaningful improvements to places, both locally and globally;
  • Meaningful improvements to people's lives, through wellbeing and health.

• The City Region Deal. We encourage proposals that align with the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal and its projects.

• The FortH2O Local Policy Improvement Partnership. We invite applications that alight with the work undertaken under one of the four UKRI-funded Local Policy Innovation Partnerships, Stirling LPIP: optimising outcomes from water resources: raising levels in the Forth water basin.