ESRC Responsive Mode: Working with Luxembourg Researchers Round Two

Document research last revised 2026-08-13.

Grant Name

ESRC responsive mode: working with Luxembourg researchers round two

Last Updated

11 May 2026

Eligible Applicants - UK

The UK project lead must be based at an organisation eligible for ESRC funding for the duration of the grant. Applicants can be at any stage of their academic career, provided the project team has the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience for the proposed project.

Eligible Applicants - Luxembourg

Luxembourg applicants must be based at an eligible institution in Luxembourg, including public research centres, the University of Luxembourg, public bodies, departments and establishments that can support research in the relevant area. Luxembourg applicants should confirm their eligibility with FNR.

International Applicants

Project leads from non-UK organisations are not eligible to apply for the UK-funded component. Project co-leads based at non-UK research organisations can be included, subject to UKRI's international project co-lead policy.

International Collaboration Requirement

Mandatory. The opportunity is specifically for collaborative research involving researchers in the UK and Luxembourg under the UKRI-FNR agreement.

Research Category

Social science research, interdisciplinary research, methodological development and research infrastructure.

Thematic Priorities

No specific thematic or methodological priorities. The highest-quality proposals are considered regardless of research focus or approach.

Eligible Projects

Collaborative UK-Luxembourg research projects addressing research questions within the ESRC and FNR remits, including basic, applied or strategic research.

Funding Available - UK

£350,000 to £1,000,000 FEC for the UK component.

Funding Available - Luxembourg

FNR funds the justified costs of the Luxembourg component through its own funding system. Luxembourg costs must not be entered into the UKRI costings.

Funding Intensity - UK

ESRC funds 80% of the UK component's FEC.

Funding Intensity - Luxembourg

FNR funds all justified eligible costs for the Luxembourg component, subject to FNR rules.

Third-Party Contributions

Direct and in-kind contributions from third-party project partners are encouraged.

Research Organisation Funding

Host organisations must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for UKRI-funded activities, including research facilities and staff training and development.

Subcontractors

Not specifically stated

Je-S

Applications cannot be submitted through the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

Application Submission

The UK project lead completes the UKRI Funding Service application. The application is then sent to the UK research office for checking and submission. Only the lead research organisation can submit the application to UKRI.

Luxembourg Application Requirement

Luxembourg applicants must be included as Project Co-Lead (International) in the UKRI Funding Service.

Luxembourg Staff Costs

No staff costs should be included for Luxembourg applicants in the UKRI application.

FNR Supporting Documents

Luxembourg applicants must complete the FNR-specific project plan form, budget spreadsheet and justification of costs form and provide these to the UK project lead for upload.

Joint Application

The UK and Luxembourg components must be clearly differentiated in the proposal and budget. The FNR budget must be justified in the proposal submitted to UKRI.

FNR Separate Application

UKRI states that Luxembourg applicants do not need to apply separately to FNR; the relevant FNR costs and documents are incorporated into the joint UKRI application process.

Core Team

Applicants should identify the project lead, UK project co-leads and international project co-leads as appropriate. Luxembourg applicants receiving FNR funding must be entered as Project Co-Lead (International).

Primary Discipline Classification

Applicants must select the primary social science discipline most relevant to the project. This helps establish ESRC eligibility and identify appropriate reviewers.

Primary Social Science Disciplines

Area studies, demography, development studies, economics, education, environmental planning, history, human geography, law and legal studies, linguistics, management and business studies, political science and international studies, psychology, science and technology studies, social anthropology, social policy, social work, sociology, and tools, technologies and methods.

Vision

Must explain the quality and importance of the research, potential to advance understanding or generate new knowledge, timeliness, potential impact and the added value of the UK-Luxembourg collaboration.

Approach

Must explain the research methodology, feasibility, project management, risks, previous work where relevant, collaboration arrangements, impact and how the proposed resources will deliver the intended outcomes.

Applicant and Team Capability

Maximum 1,500 words. Applicants should demonstrate why the team has the skills, knowledge and experience required to deliver the research.

R4RI

Applicants should use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format where applicable to demonstrate relevant contributions, experience and capabilities.

Data Management and Sharing

Maximum 500 words where applicable. Applicants generating data must explain how data will be managed and shared in accordance with ESRC's research data policy and ethics requirements.

Data Requirements

Applicants should plan data management throughout the research lifecycle, address data archiving, existing datasets, consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security, copyright and other barriers to data sharing where relevant.

Facilities

Where relevant, applicants should provide information about datasets, infrastructure or facilities required for the project.

Ethics and RRI

Maximum 500 words. Applicants must identify relevant ethical and responsible research and innovation issues and explain how they will be managed.

Ethical Approvals

Required ethical approvals must be in place before the project begins but do not necessarily need to have been secured at the time of application.

Resources and Cost Justification

Applicants must justify the resources required to deliver the project, particularly significant staff costs, fieldwork or collaboration travel, equipment costing more than £25,000, exceptional consumables, facilities and infrastructure costs, and resources costed as Exceptions.

Equipment Threshold

Equipment costing more than £25,000 must be justified in the Resources and Cost Justification section.

Project Partners

Project partners can contribute expertise, staff time, facilities, cash or other in-kind resources where appropriate.

Project Partner Letters

Named project partners must provide appropriate confirmation of their commitment and contribution. Formal collaboration agreements are required if an award is made.

Reviewer Selection

Applicants cannot nominate reviewers through the UKRI Funding Service. UKRI/ESRC selects expert reviewers.

Panel Assessment

Following peer review and applicant response where applicable, experts assess and rank applications and make a funding recommendation.

Interview Stage

Not specified / no interview stage published for this opportunity.

Closing Date Policy

No deadline for submission. Applicants should submit when their application is ready rather than wait for a system-generated closing date.

Assessment Rounds

The opportunity runs through consecutive rounds, with closing dates appearing in the Funding Service because of system requirements, although the opportunity itself remains open.

Renewal / Resubmission Rules

Uninvited resubmissions are not accepted. Any resubmission must comply with the applicable UKRI/ESRC rules and invitation requirements.

Data Sharing with FNR

UKRI will share the application and relevant personal information with FNR so that FNR can participate in the assessment process.

Publication of Outcomes

ESRC will publish funding outcomes. If successful, some personal information may be published on UKRI Gateway to Research.

Important Notes

The opportunity is governed by the UKRI-FNR collaboration agreement. ESRC funds the UK component while FNR funds the Luxembourg component. The UK partner must lead the joint application and contribute slightly more research effort.

Current Status Check

Open

Latest Official Update

11 May 2026

Application deadline in source document

Open - no closing date

Official source

Read the funding authority guidance