There are currently 2 funding opportunities administered by the ESRC in connection with the What Works Centre for Wellbeing.
1) Approaches to Understanding and Measuring Wellbeing
The ESRC and the AHRC, in partnership with the What Works Centre for Wellbeing (WWCW), invite proposals for innovative research projects that focus on a wide range of methodologies and approaches to understanding and measuring wellbeing.
Proposals are welcome that will look at a vast range of definitions of wellbeing, as well as different methodological approaches to the measurement of wellbeing. This could include debate and comparative study around different understandings and views of ‘wellbeing’ in addition to investigating different methodologies to utilising data resources to inform the measurement of wellbeing in varying contexts. The successful team will be expected to work closely with the WWCW Hub and any existing research projects.
The What Works Wellbeing Centre say:
Getting measurement right is important
Measurement enables us to make comparisons, track progress and articulate what success looks like using verifiable indicators. But measurement is also difficult, particularly when the phenomenon you are trying to measure is as complex as wellbeing. And imperfect measurement can focus attention in the wrong places.
The measurement of wellbeing has come a long way in recent years. We now have an agreed indicator set from the ONS, which includes four subjective measures of wellbeing. There is a growing recognition of the importance and validity, particularly of subjective measures of wellbeing, to understand the impact of government policy and local interventions.
Measuring the right things
But as the appetite to apply a wellbeing lens grows, the challenges and limitations of our existing toolkit of measures raises some important questions for research, policy and practitioners alike.
For example, when valuing the impact a policy:
- How do you account for who’s wellbeing is affected, and what weightings would be appropriate to ensure policies improve overall wellbeing as well as reduce wellbeing inequalities?
- How do wellbeing goals at a central level translate to measures that can be measured and implemented by different agencies?
- How would you account for tradeoffs between different determinants of wellbeing?
- What does the use of a single measure for wellbeing, such as life satisfaction miss or under-emphasise in terms of the aspects of life and society that we value (eg. power, sustainability) and how can these be accounted for?
It is questions like these that we are hoping that the Methods and Measures project will address.
We are looking forward to receiving proposals from teams of academics that want to work with us to explore some of these complex conceptual and empirical issues, in a way that will demonstrate both the value and pragmatism of a wellbeing approach, and working with that team to develop, translate and apply the outputs of this research project
Applicants can apply for up to £550,000 (100% fEC) of which UKRI will contribute 80%. The intention is to fund one grant. Deadline is 20 June 2019, 16.00. A shortlisting panel meeting will be held in June and interviews will take place in July. Funding decisions will be communicated to applicants by the end of August 2019. The successful grant must start by 15 November 2019
Full details: https://esrc.ukri.org/funding/funding-opportunities/approaches-to-understanding-and-measuring-wellbeing/
2) Highlight notice for ESRC Secondary Data Analysis Initiative
The Secondary Data Analysis Initiative (SDAI) features ad-hoc competitions in collaboration with ESRC’s partner organisations. These calls may focus on exploitation of other datasets or research questions identified by the partner organisations that differ from those in the standard call. In these instances additional funding will be available which will be ring-fenced specifically for these projects.
What Works Centre for Wellbeing – highlight notice:
ESRC, in partnership with the What Works Centre for Wellbeing (WWCW), is seeking to fund up to six projects (dependent on quality of proposals and funding available) via a highlight notice to ESRC’s Secondary Data Analysis Initiative (SDAI) open call, we are inviting innovative proposals on ‘Understanding Wellbeing’ using secondary data.
Projects should use existing data resources to explore the concept of wellbeing in a range of contexts, including but not limited to:
- work (including flexible, informal and self-employed)
- community relationships (including trust, empowerment, belonging, social connections, loneliness and isolation, living conditions)
- finance (including debt, financial uncertainty/precarity)
- health (Including improving mental health and wellbeing through changes to nutrition, physical activity, arts/cultural intervention etc.)
- wellbeing inequalities (for individuals or groups)
Deadline is 31 July 2019 for the November panel. Funding is available for up to 24 months with a maximum ESRC funding contribution per project of £300,000 (100% full Economic Cost (fEC)), of which ESRC will contribute 80%).
Successful research teams will work with the What Works Centre for Wellbeing for the duration of the project. Applicants must therefore contact the centre before applying. Applicants should also include relevant expert members of the WWCW as co-investigators or partners on the project
For full details (including a video on the opportunity) please see:
https://esrc.ukri.org/funding/funding-opportunities/secondary-data-analysis-initiative-sdai-open-call/secondary-data-analysis-initiative-highlight-notices/
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