Following a competitive, peer-reviewed process, King’s College London has been awarded IAA funding, which will commence from 1 April 2019.

Over the next four years, this second round of ESRC IAAs will help social scientists collaborate with businesses, policymakers and civil society, creating new opportunities for research to make a positive contribution to society and the economy.

What are Impact Acceleration Accounts?

IAAs are block awards made to research organisations to speed up the impact of research. Research organisations can make decisions about how to invest their IAA funding based on their individual needs and strategies, responding flexibly and creatively to opportunities for social scientists and potential research users to collaborate and share knowledge.

ESRC IAAs create opportunities for the social sciences to work with other disciplines and proactively engage across their institution to build networks and leverage funding, vital for the sustainability of knowledge exchange and impact.

Strengthening our research

Building on the first round of ESRC IAAs, these new awards continue to focus on building capacity, skills, and culture around knowledge exchange within research organisations, as well as strengthening engagement opportunities with research users, including at an early stage and in innovative ways.

IAAs are also intended to enable organisations to focus on longer-term sustainability of knowledge exchange and impact support, and to help improve plans for supporting impact included within new research projects.

Professor Jonathan Grant, Vice-President and Vice-Principal (Service) at King’s said, "I am delighted we have won this award which will enable us to maximise the impact of King’s world-leading social science research. Impact is at the heart of our ambition to solve societies challenges with evidence and expertise and to contribute to a better world for everyone."

Professor Jennifer Rubin, Executive Chair of ESRC said, "This next generation of IAA funding will enable research organisations to build the capacity, capability and opportunity for social scientists to play their part in ensuring the UK’s world-leading research is brought to bear on the pressing social and economic challenges and opportunities we face."