RIBA Research Fund
The RIBA Research Fund awards annual grants to individuals conducting independent architectural research at any stage of their careers in practice or academia. The aim is to support critical investigation into a wide range of subject matters relevant to the advancement of architecture, and connected arts and sciences, in the United Kingdom.
Eligibility
We welcome applications to support all research topics as long as the subject matter and final outputs are relevant to the advancement of architecture and associated disciplines and professions. Applications are welcome from individuals or teams from architectural practices and academia at any stage of their research careers.
Grants are made to individuals and not to commercial businesses or to higher education institutions. The fund does not support course fees, expenses, and subsistence costs for those enrolled in PhD/MPhil or Masters programmes.
Applicants should be primarily based in the UK.
The maximum amount that applicants can apply for is £12,000.
Assessment and selection
Applications are assessed by the RIBA Research Development Group, a working group that comprises members of the RIBA Council, the RIBA Education Development Group, and other individuals co-opted for their expertise.
The following criteria will be used to select the grant recipient(s):
- clear demonstration of the originality and importance of the research topic
- evidence that the proposal is generally feasible and well planned, with consideration of how to mitigate risks and address eventual challenges
- defined, measurable, and suitable outputs for the research proposal, e.g., a journal article, an exhibition, etc.
- well-thought through and detailed financial expenditure forecast
Consideration will also be given to how the project aligns with one or more of the four Mandatory Competences detailed in the RIBA Education and Professional Development Framework: Health and Life Safety, Ethical Practice, Climate Literacy, and Research Literacy.
Applying
The 2024 application cycle is now closed. The next application cycle will open in the spring of 2025. For more information on the criteria and application process, please read the guidance notes (PDF) for the 2024 application cycle.
2024 recipients
We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 RIBA Research Fund:
Alys Hargreaves, Millicent Green and Magnus Holbourn: Foula: A Carbon Education Centre (awarded £12,000)
This research examines how carbon education sits in tandem with the development of circular bio-based economies, bog regeneration, and bioregional material waste streams as local, regional, and global communities urgently prepare for a post-carbon future.
Wing Nga Tam and Zhuo Chen: Right to Repair: Reforming Towards Collective Maintenance and Care in Social Housing (awarded £9,500)
Challenging the Boundary Estate’s decay as a typical outcome of viewing buildings as one-off transactions, this research explores how integrating building-as-process principles into mainstream building industry can enhance UK housing stock and local economies. It investigates how current provider-customer housing repair and retrofitting approaches can be reformed by involving community in new roles and practices.
Adeyemi Akande - (De)Centering Architecture in the Debate on Repatriation of Artefacts to West Africa (awarded £5,914)
Focusing on the Benin ‘bronzes’ as model, this study will examine the role of architecture in the framework of repatriation. It will attempt the key question – is architecture a centrality, or a distraction to the process of repatriation, and how will repatriation be affected if architecture is decentered? The work queries not just the people’s understanding of the museum, but the museum’s understanding of the people and the rapidly evolving cultural matrix of Nigeria.
Dylan Radcliffe Brown - Deconstruction as Design: Sustainable and Creative Demolition Strategies in a Circular Economy (awarded £10,000)
This research will investigate current demolition practice and future deconstruction practices from the perspective of the UK architect, deepening knowledge in a ‘keystone’ topic which underpins circular design. The research will specifically address the question of whether deconstruction can be a creative act.
Jessica Kelly and Claire Jamieson Public Service and Private Practice: Histories of the Changing Architectural Profession (awarded £7,384)
This research project will create a series of podcasts for the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain (SAHGB) exploring the paradigm shifts between the agency of the state and the private sector in shaping the built environment, and the impact on how architects practise for the public good.
Christopher Laing - Breaking the Silence: The Deaf Experience in Architecture (awarded £10,000)
This research proposal seeks to address the underrepresentation and challenges faced by the Deaf community in the field of architecture in the UK. Through interviews with Deaf individuals currently in the architecture profession and members of the broader Deaf community, this study aims to uncover the barriers they face in work placements, academic settings, and public consultations.
Naina Gupta - The Empire Pool and the Municipal Pool: The British Empire Games, Otto Koenigsberger and the Staging of an Independent India (awarded £5,000)
This research will study the early days of British Empire Games (1930-1945) with a focus on two swimming pools—the Empire Pool in London and the municipal pool in Bangalore, with the aim of discussing colonial relations as one of dialogue, exchange and the constitution of a progressive ‘international sensibility’.
Charles Palmer - RIBA Activist Stage (awarded £10,000)
This study questions whether a ‘RIBA Activist’ Work Stage or Plan of Work Overlay is required to better support community asset owners in the initial stages of projects. The research will be conducted through interviews with community asset owners and architects that have experience getting community led projects going.
Applications were assessed by the RIBA Research Development Group.
