BERA funds 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
- develop research capacity by involving postgraduate students and early career researchers
- receive applications from and involving practitioners and policymakers as well as academic researchers
The 2025/2026 Small Grants Fund aims to support research focusing on Additional Support Needs (ASN) / Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in educational settings.
Research proposals are requested to address the theme within one or more of the following four areas:
- strategies to manage and balance integration with individual support needs
- working with parents to support ASN/SEND
- assistive technology in improving learning outcomes for children with ASN/SEND
- children with ASN/SEND and mental health
Expected outputs:
- The key output is a final report of 2,000-3,000 words to be published by BERA.
- Recipients of the funding are also expected to write at least one BERA Blog on the subject of their research and are strongly encouraged to submit their work to present at the BERA Conference in 2025.
ELIGIBILITY
Educational researchers in any context and at any career stage are invited to apply.
All applicants must be a current individual member of BERA and, where possible, teams of researchers should include an early career researcher.
VALUE
The value of each individual award is up to £5,000 and BERA has budgeted for up to four projects.
In addition to the £5,000 award, if they are presenting their research at the BERA conference, the recipient will be able to claim back the cost of conference registration.
KEY DATES
Deadline: 14 May 2025
Full details, including criteria for assessment and grants previously awarded, can be found on the opportunity webpage. See also the Grant Costing Guide and Proposal Form included below.