The Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF) aims to advance the social sciences by fostering new modes of inquiry, developing interdisciplinary methods and expertise, and enhancing understanding of social entities and processes. Funded by private philanthropists since 2008, ISRF promotes social science development by offering funding opportunities, forming academic partnerships, and supporting research that ventures beyond existing explanations to refresh empirical problems with innovative theories or methodologies.
The ISRF's grant program is particularly focused on promoting innovative research that challenges and departs from existing theoretical frameworks to freshly tackle empirical issues lacking adequate theory or methodology. It encourages applications that propose controversial theories aiming at critically challenging established theories. Emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinarity, the program welcomes projects that blend and transform empirical methods and theoretical insights from the social sciences, humanities, and even natural sciences. The Mid-Career Fellowships, specifically targeting scholars within Europe 10 years or more post-PhD (with certain exceptions for those deemed mid-career by other criteria), aim to provide a year of relief from teaching and administrative duties to facilitate research. Funding up to £75,000 is available to cover buy-out costs and potentially match funding for research expenses.