Research Funding & Awards

KPEG is a pilot small-grants scheme open to RSA Individual and Early Career members affiliated to a Higher Education Institution. Awards of up to £2,500 support projects of 3–12 months that deliver direct, practical benefit to a non-academic beneficiary organisation.

The RSA Knowledge and Policy Exchange Grant (KPEG) funds short, impactful collaborations between RSA members and non-academic organisations. If you have expertise relevant to a charity, local authority, community group, or policy body, KPEG provides the resources to make that exchange happen.

Value: up to £5,500 (c. $7,300; c. €6,200)

Application Deadline (Expression of Interest): 3rd March 2027

Recognising excellence in regional studies and regional science, this grant supports outstanding individual researchers who have already published in the field and are current RSA members. Awards of up to £5,500 (c. $7,300; c. €6,200) run for a maximum of 18 months, subject to reporting conditions. Full terms are available in the MeRSA Handbook.

Value: up to £8,250 (c. $10,900; c. €9,400)

Application Deadline (Expression of Interest): 3rd March 2027

Recognising established researchers and long-standing members, this grant supports Fellows of the RSA undertaking a discrete piece of research in regional studies and/or regional science. Open exclusively to Fellows, individual members with a minimum of five years’ continuous membership who have contributed to the life of the Association, awards run for a maximum of 18 months, subject to reporting conditions. Full Terms are available in the FeRSA Handbook.

Value: up to £11,000 (c. $14,600; c. €12,500)

Application Deadline (Expression of Interest): 3rd March 2027

Recognising early career researchers, this grant supports individual applicants based within an eligible higher education institution undertaking a discrete piece of regional studies and/or regional science research. Open to those with no more than 5 years between the date shown on their certificate and the application deadline. Awards run for a maximum of 18 months, subject to reporting conditions. Full Terms are available in the EC Handbook.

Value: up to £1000

Application Deadlines: 3rd March and 15th September 2026

Marking 60 years of the Regional Studies Association last year, the Start-Up Grant Scheme was launched to reflect our ongoing global commitment to advancing regional and urban research and sharing its findings widely. Designed to build research capacity in emerging economies and the Global South, the scheme remains open to regional and urban researchers in RSA membership Bands C and D.

Value: up to £16,500 (c. $21,800; c. €18,700)

Application deadline (Expression of Interest): 24 November 2026

Supporting research with real-world impact, this scheme funds Expos addressing issues that are current and significant to society. Expo teams investigate how the communities of regional studies, regional science, urban studies and related fields can respond to new societal challenges and opportunities, producing a policy-facing book of approximately 30,000 words (plus an accompanying article) that addresses policy-relevant questions and outlines avenues for influencing policy and practice.

The maximum funding for Research Networks is:

• £11,000 (c. $14,600; c. €12,500) for newly established networks

• £8,250 (c. $10,900; c. €9,400) for renewing networks.

Application deadline: 12 October 2026

Bringing together RSA members with shared interests, RSA Research Networks are formed when members collaborate to examine an issue that aligns with the Association’s key priorities and matters to both members and non-members. These issues need not have a direct policy focus, though examination would normally lead to policy-related conclusions.

Value: up to £550 (c. $730; c. €620)

Recognising the importance of attending and presenting at events, this grant supports individual members travelling to an RSA or non-RSA event within the field of regional studies and/or regional science, covering associated travel costs.

Application deadline: 1st April 2026 and 15th September 2026

Recognising barriers to participation, conference bursaries take the form of reduced fees or fee waivers and are available for most RSA conferences*. Open to RSA members, precedence may be given to new researchers or to those from countries with recognised funding difficulties.

*Depending on funding availability.

Applying for grants can be a stressful and difficult. One this page, some of our our members who have successfully applied for grants share their top tips for applications.

Value: up to £4,000 (c. $5,300; c. €4,700)

Recognising the global impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19), this grant scheme supported the RSA’s global community in researching and disseminating evidence on how regions, cities, and industry addressed the pandemic. The funding aimed to promote research and dissemination both within and across transnational borders, furthering the Association’s strategy. This grant scheme closed in 2022 and is no longer accepting applications.