½¿É«µ¼º½

Through our Small Grants Fund, ½¿É«µ¼º½ awards funding annually to research on a different, pressing theme each year, with the intention that each project will:

• make important contributions to the discipline by contributing to and leading current debates;Ìý
• develop research capacity by involving postgraduate students and early career researchers;Ìý
• receive applications from and involving practitioners and policymakers as well as academic researchers.Ìý

The value of each individual award is up to £5,000 and ½¿É«µ¼º½ normally budgets for funding of up to three projects. In addition to the £5,000 award, if they are presenting their research at the ½¿É«µ¼º½ conference, the recipient will be able to claim back the cost of conference registration. Ìý

Outputs

The key output is a final report of between 2,000-3,000 words to be published by ½¿É«µ¼º½ . Recipients of the funding are also expected to write at least one ½¿É«µ¼º½ Blog on the subject of their research and are strongly encouraged to submit their work to present at the ½¿É«µ¼º½ Conference. We may also consider holding bespoke events on the subject of each or collectively.

Educational researchers in any context, or at any career stage are invited to apply.Ìý

Each small grants recipient will be appointed a member of council as a point of contact throughout the duration of the project.ÌýÌý

Criteria for assessment

Proposals are submitted on a proforma (see below) and each proposal is judged as to how well the aims and objectives of the proposed research address the priority theme (the professional learning for teacher educators) and are rigorous in their approach.Ìý

Applications are scored in the first instance by µþ·¡¸é´¡â€™s College of Reviewers and assessed as to:Ìý

• Originality, potential contribution to knowledge and the extent that the proposed project demonstrates innovation potential.Ìý
• Quality of research design and methods including the soundness of the concept, and credibility of the proposed methodology.Ìý
• Relevance to the theme chosen by ½¿É«µ¼º½.Ìý
• Significance of outputs and dissemination for impact – the extent to which the outputs of the project would contribute to each of the expected impacts mentioned.Ìý
• Value for money – both the direct costs and the potential to bring in other resources through collaboration.Ìý
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion* – the extent to which equal opportunities are considered in the research team and for research participantsÌý

*µþ·¡¸é´¡â€™s work is based on building meaningful, enduring, and respectful relationships across different peoples and cultures. To do this successfully, requires a strong commitment to EDI and this commitment extends to all aspects of our work. When we talk about EDI at ½¿É«µ¼º½, we mean treating people fairly, impartially and without bias creating conditions which encourage and value diversity, promote dignity and inclusion and a culturally sensitive approach. For more details see µþ·¡¸é´¡â€™s Equality Policy

½¿É«µ¼º½ reserves the right not to award a grant if insufficient quality proposals are submitted. All applicants must be a current individual member of ½¿É«µ¼º½ and where possible, teams of researchers should include an early career researcher. This award will be judged in the first instance by the ½¿É«µ¼º½ College of Reviewers, with members of Leadership Committee making the final decision. In line with our wider discussions on equality and diversity, the ethnicity, gender and institutional affiliation of all applications will be collected and monitored.

We regret that as a small-scale funder, and a registered charity relying on the volunteer labour of our members, ½¿É«µ¼º½ is not able to offer feedback on individual applications and correspondence will not be entered into.

Participation

½¿É«µ¼º½ aims for these projects to make contributions to the discipline. Applicants are encouraged to identify audiences beyond teacher educators such as training teachers and policymakers to maximise its impact and contribution to debates.

Format for the Final ReportÌý

ÌýThe Final Report should not exceed 3000 words, excluding title and references. Estimates for word count are indicated per section to indicate the expected text balance.ÌýÌý

• Executive summary (250 words)Ìý
• Introduction: provides background information to contextualise the project and a brief review of any relevant literature (400 words)Ìý
• Research design: sets out the research question(s) and methodology for the study (750 words)Ìý
• Findings & Discussion: presents the findings, analyses the results, and discusses policy and practice implications (1,200 words)Ìý
• Conclusions & recommendations: offers concluding remarks and next steps for consideration (400 words)Ìý

ParticipationÌý

It should be noted that we wish to encourage the development of research capacity through involving postgraduate students and early career researchers.Ìý

Research EthicsÌý

The host organisation is responsible for ensuring that ethical issues relating to the research project are identified and brought to the attention of the relevant approval or regulatory body. Approval to undertake the research must be granted before any work requiring approval begins. Ethical issues should be interpreted broadly and may encompass, among other things, relevant codes of practice, the involvement of human participants, tissue or data in research, the use of animals, research that may result in damage to the environment and the use of sensitive economic, social or personal data.Ìý

If you require this application in a different format for accessibility reasons, please contact membership@bera.ac.ukÌý

½¿É«µ¼º½ Small Grants Fund 2025/2026: Researching Additional Support Needs (ASN)/Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

The 2025/2026 Small Grants FundÌý aims to support research focusing on Additional Support Needs (ASN)/Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in educational settings.

This theme reflects µþ·¡¸é´¡â€™s commitment to fostering inclusive education and addressing the diverse needs of learners through evidence-based research.Ìý

½¿É«µ¼º½ Small Grants Fund 2024/2025 : Professional learning for teacher educators

The 2024 funding aimed to support research focussing on the professional learning for teacher educators within the following four areas:Ìý

• ÌýTeacher education for a multilingual/multicultural worldÌý
• Teacher education for a digital world
• Teacher education for resilience/well-being
• Teacher education for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

½¿É«µ¼º½ Small Grants Fund 2023/2024: Education in a digital age: perspectives from policy and practice

The 2023 funding was designed to allow awardees to explore different aspects of the way in which digital technology and practices are changing education with a particular emphasis on how this impacts on practitioners and policy-makers. To that end, we particularly welcomed proposals that aimed to build collaboration between researchers and those in a policy or practice situation. Educational researchers in any context, or at any career stage were invited to apply.Ìý

½¿É«µ¼º½ Small Grants Fund 2021/2022: RaceÌý& Education

The 2021/2022 grants looked at aspects of race and ethnicity across the education sector.ÌýThis work is part of the association’s commitment to address the structural and institutional inequities and unjust power imbalances that affect our members and the wider research community, as set out in ourÌý.Ìý

½¿É«µ¼º½ Small Grants Fund 2020/2021:ÌýEducation and Covid-19

The 2020/2021 grants supported 14 research projectsÌý that investigated Covid-19’s impact on important aspects of education and educational research. This work covered issues and themes of ongoing relevance as our education systems and societies continue to readjust.