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 dedicated to fostering innovative research that challenges existing explanatory frameworks and addresses empirical problems lacking adequate theory or investigative methodology. The program encourages controversial theoretical approaches and interdisciplinarity, combining empirical methods and theoretical insights from social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. Specifically, the Political Economy Fellowships target scholars in Europe, offering awards to provide full relief from teaching duties and associated academic administration for up to one year. Funding up to £75,000 is available, covering the cost of buy-outs and potentially supporting research expenses on a matched-funding basis with the host institution.