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 3 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 2023, grants of either £500 or £1000 (based on the research activity to be undertaken) will be awarded by the Society. Closing dates for applications in 2023 are as follows:
- Friday 14 April 2023 — now closed
- Friday 1 September 2023 — now closed; details of the next round, in 2024, will be announced in due course
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.
Current holders of Open Research Support Grants, 2023
- Athanasios Antonopoulos – awarded August 2023
- Marc Collinson – awarded August 2023
- Roxana Coman – awarded August 2023
- Rowan Thompson – awarded August 2023
- Rachael Whitbread – awarded August 2023
HEADER IMAGE: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo)), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, public domain.