The new network comes as the ECRN Seed Fund call prepares to open on Wednesday 24 September 2025. The scheme supports innovative research projects while boosting the career development of ECRs. For the first time, eligible applicants from every region of the UK will be able to apply.

This summer, the ECRN also announced a £5 million investment from Wellcome to launch a Leadership and Advancement SHAPE programme, which aims to nurture a healthy and equitable research culture for social science, humanities and arts (SHAPE) scholars at the start of their career.

Funded by the Wolfson Foundation, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Wellcome, the ECRN is the Academy’s flagship inclusive network designed by and for ECRs. Members benefit from mentoring schemes, training, networking events, grant-writing retreats, academic book publishing conferences, travel grants to attend network events and conferences, and seed funding opportunities.

Professor Simon Swain FBA, Chair of the ECRN governance board, said: "With this final stage of expansion, the Early Career Researcher Network truly becomes a national resource – one that has been shaped by ECRs themselves to reflect their own unique ambitions and challenges. From its earliest days, the network has shown the power of connecting researchers across disciplines, institutions and regions. The addition of the South East, East of England and Yorkshire & Humber will ensure that, no matter where they are based, ECRs in the humanities and social sciences can access tailored support and build the collaborations that will define the future of SHAPE research in the UK."

Dr William Barylo, member of the ECRN said: “The ECR Network is the family I wish I had when I undertook my Fellowship in 2018. It is a one-of-a-kind initiative that offers support and guidance and most importantly, gives us the feeling that we’re not alone struggling. ECRN events helped me connect with younger peers and others more senior than me with whom I share the same endeavours. I’m particularly grateful for the encourage and engage mentoring scheme which enables early career researchers connecting with people who’ve been through the hoops and loops of academia for several years.”

Notes to Editors

The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN) is a programme carried out in partnership with the Wolfson Foundation. The Academy aims for the network to be a researcher-led and an inclusive humanities and social sciences network, accessible to all researchers regardless of their funding source or background. It is now a UK-wide network tailored to researchers at postdoctoral level in the humanities and social sciences disciplines. The network will be responsive to the needs and interests of the researchers and enable the British Academy to support a greater number of researchers in their career ambitions, through skills development, networking opportunities, workshops, and events. The 9 regional clusters are: South West and South Wales, Midlands and Mid Wales, North West and North Wales, Yorkshire and Humber, North East and Northern Ireland, Scotland, London, South East, and East of England.
The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. We mobilise these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. We invest in researchers and projects across the UK and overseas, engage the public with fresh thinking and debates, and bring together scholars, government, business and civil society to influence policy for the benefit of everyone.
thebritishacademy.ac.uk @BritishAcademy_
Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we’re taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious diseases and climate and health.
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts. Since it was established in 1955, some £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) has been awarded to more than 14,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review. The funding from the Wolfson Foundation for the ECRN is part of a wider £10 million initiative, supporting early career fellowships as well as the refurbishment of the Academy’s building in Carlton House Terrace.
wolfson.org.uk @wolfsonfdn

New network for early career researchers launched in the South East