The fellowships aim to empower researchers across academia by providing cutting-edge financial datasets and competitive funding for impactful, policy-relevant research.

Funding will be split between three to four projects, with applications now open for submission, with a closing date of 9 December 2025.

Eligible applicants include UK-based universities, policy think tanks, research institutes and independent organisations, subject to Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) vetting.

Proposals are invited that align with FINDS’ core research themes, including economic behaviour and trends, public health and wellbeing, social science and demographic change, and income and expenditure patterns.

Dougie Robb, CEO Smart Data Foundry, said: “I’m delighted to be announcing the launch of our FINDS Fellowships. This funding will empower researchers to integrate smart financial data into studies tackling key challenges, from productivity and prosperity to health, wellbeing, and sustainability.

“We aim to support three to four innovative projects that not only demonstrate the transformative potential of smart data in research but also generate insights that contribute to real-world impact and improved lives.”

FINDS is funded via UKRI’s Smart Data Research UK programme and provides secure, de-identified financial data enabling researchers to better understand economic shocks and policy impacts on communities. This initiative represents a unique opportunity for researchers to leverage novel data sources that can inform more targeted and effective policy responses.

Funding for these Fellowships comes from Smart Data Foundry’s £3 million award from Smart Data Research UK, announced earlier this year.