Open Research Support Grants are available to all historians (who are members of the Royal Historical Society) who are not postgraduate students or early career researchers (within 5 years of completing a PhD).
Open Research Support Grants provide funds to historians to undertake historical research. Activities include: visiting archives and historical sites or conducting interviews; Open Research Support Grants may also be used to support travel to academic conferences.
When awarding Open Research Support Grants priority will be given to historians who do not have access to any funding streams, or whose access to funding is insufficient to undertake crucial elements of their research.
Please note that in submitting your application, you are required to upload a current version of your CV. You may also upload an academic reference should you wish to do so.
In 2024, grants of either £500 or £1000 (based on the research activity to be undertaken) will be awarded by the Society. The next closing date for applications in 2024 is as follows:
- Friday 6 September 2024
Applications for Open Research Support Grants are invited via the Society’s applications portal.
Notes on eligibility
- Open Research Support Grants are reserved for those who are members of the Royal Historical Society. To join the Society, please see here.
- Funding is reserved for research projects that are both clearly and predominantly historical in orientation, with a specific chronological remit.
- Whilst applicants who have previously been awarded an ‘Open Research Support Grant’ will be considered, priority will be given to those who have not previously received an award.
- Applications for funding for research taking place within 4 weeks of the application deadline will not be considered.
- Applications for funding for conference attendance taking place within 4 weeks of the application deadline will not be considered.
- Applications for retroactive research visits/activities will not be considered.
All applications for the Open Research Support Grants are reviewed by the RHS Research Support Committee, formed of members of the Society’s Council. Review of applications will not take place until the deadline for submission has passed. An average timeline for review, ratification and notification of the outcome of an application is around six weeks after the deadline.
Please note that all applications, successful or otherwise, will be directly notified of their outcome.
Current holders of Open Research Support Grants, 2023-24
- Lindy Brady – awarded November 2023
- Pia Jolliffe – awarded November 2023
- Stephanie Seul – awarded November 2023
- Sophie Scott-Brown – awarded November 2023
- Christian Cooijmans – awarded November 2023
- Tatyana Zhukova – awarded November 2023
HEADER IMAGE: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo)), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, public domain.