Application process
The Royal Society will be administering the application process and the awards on behalf of the three Academies, therefore applications should be submitted through the Royal Society’s electronic grant application system (Flexi-Grant®).
See the ‘Application and assessment process’ page for a general overview of the application and selection steps and see below for details specific to this scheme. Full details of the application and review process are available in the scheme notes.
We welcome applications from disabled scientists and provide support and adjustments to ensure that they can participate fully in the selection process. If you require support or an adjustment when accessing the application form or for any other part of the application process, please contact the Royal Society Grants team at [email protected] or call +44 20 7451 2666.
All requests for adjustments are made in confidentiality.
Adjustments can include but are not limited to:
- Extension of the deadline
- Additional support to complete the application form
- Receiving the application form in a different format, such as on a Word document
- Support during interviews as required, including technical support for candidates requiring accessibility software or services
- Additional costs that candidates may incur on account of their particular disability to attend an interview.
Selection process
Assessment of your application will be overseen by the APEX Awards Panel, a cross-disciplinary panel with broad-ranging expertise drawn from the Fellowship of all three Academies.
It is therefore of particular importance that applicants include a concise and understandable lay summary, free of jargon, in order to best convey their proposed research. In addition, applicants should ensure that they provide complete referencing of any grant funding or publications that might affect their application.
Following eligibility checks, applications are initially reviewed and assessed by two panel members who have the most appropriate scientific expertise. A longlist is drawn up, with longlisted applications subject to independent review. Following completion of independent peer review, a shortlist is finalised with oversight of the Panel Chair. Shortlisted applications will then have the Public Engagement element assessed (if costs have been requested) before being discussed at a Panel meeting where recommendations for funding are made.
Further details about the award, including information on how to apply and the assessment criteria, can be found in the scheme notes and FAQ.
The decision will be made by 31 May 2025.
Assessment criteria
The Panel will select applications on the basis of research excellence, extent of the collaborative, interdisciplinary research and the novelty of the proposed research. The primary considerations in the assessment process will be:
- The applicant’s strong scientific and/or engineering/or social sciences and/or humanities track record, and proven track record in collaborative research
- The strength of the interdisciplinary research collaboration and team
- The quality, novelty, and potential of the proposed interdisciplinary research project
- The potential of the proposed project to enable the applicant to develop a new direction for their research and establish new tools, methodologies or applications derived by the synergy of diverse fields
- The feasibility of the proposal and whether the applicant recognises the inherent risk of failure associated with this type of research and their strategy for minimising these risks.