We're launching a Policy Data Grant

The application period has now closed. We will contact the successful candidates by 12 January 2024.

Are you a researcher or professional staff member who studies the use of evidence in policy? Find out how to apply to our new micro-grants here.

At Overton, we’re committed to supporting evidence-based policymaking across the world. We want to improve decision making by enhancing the links between research and policy. We help researchers discover and understand policy, specifically how evidence is used to influence and shape the world around us. We’re also working to create pathways to streamline the dissemination of academic knowledge into policy.

With this new funding programme, we aim to support and recognise researchers who are using policy data to expand our understanding of policy citation networks, new ways of assessing the outcomes of policy engagement by academics and knowledge brokers, and who are developing best practices for the responsible use of policy citation data.

EUAN ADIE, DIRECTOR OF OVERTON

Quick facts

What you get

If selected, each project will receive a maximum funding of £5,000 from a total amount of £10,000. You also get free access to Overton’s policy database.

Timeline

The application deadline is 1 December 2023. We expect the funding decision to be communicated by 12 January 2024.

Who can apply?

The Overton grants are designed for individuals or small teams who want to make significant positive contributions in behaviours, practice or policy.

Project Scope

The Overton Policy Data Micro Grant 2023 is focused on short, tightly scoped, original research proposals that have a concrete output.

We welcome applications from scholars whose proposals have the potential to expand our understanding of the policy landscape.

We are particularly keen to support researchers in the early stage of their career, and professional staff who don’t perform research full time, as well as those looking to establish themselves better in the fields of scientometrics, bibliometrics, and research evaluation.

The scope of your proposal should match the available time and budget. Your proposal can be quantitative or qualitative, can involve interdisciplinary research or target a specific discipline, demographic or group.

Your proposal can be exploratory or explanatory. It might collect key information, reveal underlying patterns, design new frameworks etc.

The most important thing is that its primary focus remains on academic – policy engagement, impact assessment or evidence use in policy.

We will offer free access to Overton’s data as well as training and support where required.

Project criteria

Projects must answer a compelling, well-defined research question with measurable outcome(s).

There must be a concrete output: e.g. a blog post, report, poster, dataset, paper.

Projects must be completed within 6 weeks maximum.

Projects must start no later than 2 months after receipt of the grant.

How to apply?

Candidates must complete the application form in the appendix of the call for proposals, detailing their research project including the background, research question, methodologies, goals and expected outputs.

Successful candidates will also be required to follow good practices in open science and share their findings and project outcomes on the Overton blog.

Completed applications should be emailed to grants@overton.io

Overton welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability or parental status.