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The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is delighted to announce additional funding of £3.19 million for the UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) hub based at King’s College London and £4.3 million for nine new Senior Fellows for the UKICE initiative. The hub will run for a further three years and the fellowships will run for up to three years. 

Led by Professor Anand Menon, the UKICE initiative aims to promote rigorous, high-quality and independent research into the complex and ever-changing relationship between the UK and the European Union, and to provide an authoritative, non-partisan and impartial reference point for those looking for information, insight and analysis about UK-EU relations that stand aside from the politics surrounding the debate.

The ESRC, as part of UK Research and Innovation, invited proposals from UK-based academics for senior fellowships to work as part of UKICE; this will be the third round of senior fellowships under the initiative. 

The nine new Senior Fellows are: 

• Professor David Bailey, University of Birmingham
  Changing Lanes? Brexit and UK Automotive: Impacts and implications for corporate strategies and industrial policy
• Professor Catherine Barnard, University of Cambridge
  Working hard; hardly working
• Dr Meredith Crowley, University of Cambridge
  UK Trade Policy post-Brexit
• Professor John Curtice, National Centre for Social Research
  The Evolution of Public Attitudes during the Brexit Process
• Professor Sarah Hall, University of Nottingham
  Brexit and the UK’s financial services sector
• Dr Katy Hayward, Queen's University Belfast
  The Post-Brexit Status and Future of Northern Ireland
• Professor Hussein Kassim, University of East Anglia
  Negotiating the future. The UK's repositioning in Europe: processes and consequences
• Professor Nicola McEwen, University of Edinburgh
  A Family of Nations? Brexit, Devolution and the Union
• Professor Meg Russell, University College London
  Brexit, Parliament and the Constitution

The new Senior Fellows are academics of the highest international standing in their field. While their role is focused mainly on impact, dissemination and the synthesis of existing research, they will also have the opportunity to undertake new research where appropriate. 

Professor Anand Menon, Director of UKICE, said

“I am delighted to welcome this outstanding collection of first-rate social scientists to our team. Working together we have an exciting opportunity to ensure that social science research informs not only public policy but also political and public debates about the future of the UK and its relationship with the European Union.”

Under the guidance of the UKICE Director, the role of the senior fellowship is to provide evidence and analysis, which leads to impact and dissemination across the broad range of issues and policy areas affected by Brexit, its implementation and consequences, and the UK’s future relationship with the European Union more broadly. 

Jeremy Neathey, Deputy Director of Research at ESRC, said

“ESRC continues to be committed to providing a strong evidence base to inform what is the most critical issue facing not just the immediate, but also the longer term, future of the UK. We continue to fund research across a range of initiatives which allow us to better understand the profound implications of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The appointment of this cohort is a crucial part of that effort and builds on the valuable work of the previous fellows.”

Notes for editors

• The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government. 
• The ESRC is the UK’s largest funder of research on the social and economic questions facing us today. It supports the development and training of the UK’s future social scientists and also funds major studies that provide the infrastructure for research. ESRC-funded research informs policymakers and practitioners and helps make businesses, voluntary bodies and other organisations more effective.
• UK Research and Innovation is a new body which works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish. We aim to maximise the contribution of each of our component parts, working individually and collectively. We work with our many partners to benefit everyone through knowledge, talent and ideas.
• Operating across the whole of the UK with a combined budget of more than £6 billion, UK Research and Innovation brings together the seven Research Councils, Innovate UK and a new organisation, Research England.