Nuffield Foundation Research, Development and Analysis Fund Application

PolicyEngine's application to the Nuffield Foundation's Research, Development and Analysis Fund.

Grant Overview

• Funder: Nuffield Foundation
• Fund: Research, Development and Analysis Fund
• Award Range: Typically under £300,000 (max £500,000, occasionally up to £750,000)
• Duration: Six months to three years
• Next Deadline: October 6, 2025
• Application Type: Two-stage (Outline, then Full application if invited)

Focus Areas

The fund supports research that aims to improve lives in the UK, addressing one or more priority questions:

1. Building a prosperous and fair society
2. Creating an inclusive society
3. Ensuring science and technology benefit people
4. Developing climate change policies
5. Building trustworthy and effective institutions

Eligibility

• Must be affiliated with a UK-based organization
• Not for individual researchers without institutional affiliation
• Not for undergraduate/master's students or PhD fees
• Not for establishing academic posts

Previous Nuffield Support

PolicyEngine received £251,296 from Nuffield Foundation (September 2024 - September 2025) for "Enhancing, localising and democratising tax-benefit policy analysis" - improving PolicyEngine's comprehensiveness, accuracy, and accessibility.

Previous Application Materials:

• Full application with hyperlinks (markdown)
• Executive summary and analysis
• Google Doc
• Word document

Repository Structure

nuffield-rda-2025/
├── docs/                    # Application documents and responses
│   ├── outline/            # Outline application (first stage)
│   │   ├── questions.yaml  # Question structure and word limits
│   │   ├── responses/      # Individual answer files (one per question)
│   │   ├── assemble_outline.py  # Stitcher with word count validation
│   │   └── README.md       # Workflow documentation
│   ├── full-application/   # Full application (if invited)
│   └── budget/             # Budget documentation
├── materials/               # Reference materials and grant documents
│   ├── previous-application-2024.md  # Previous award (with hyperlinks)
│   └── previous-application-summary.md  # Analysis of what worked
├── scripts/                 # Assembly and content management scripts
└── site/                   # React microsite for proposal review

Development

Working on the Outline Application

Edit individual response files in docs/outline/responses/:

# Edit a specific response
code docs/outline/responses/a_project_summary.md

# Assemble and validate word counts
cd docs/outline
python3 assemble_outline.py

See docs/outline/README.md for full workflow documentation.

View the Application Site

cd site
npm install
npm run dev

Visit http://localhost:5173/nuffield-rda-2025 to view the microsite.

Update Content

Edit markdown files in docs/ and run the sync script (if needed):

python3 scripts/sync_content.py  # If this script exists

Assessment Criteria

• Relevance to priority questions
• Potential impact
• Research methodology
• Team expertise
• Value for money

Key Dates

• October 6, 2025: Outline application deadline
• TBD: Full application deadline (if invited)

Links

• R&D Fund Information
• Previous PolicyEngine Project
• Nuffield Foundation