Disagreeing Well programme: small project funding pilot

The Disagreeing Well programme has pilot funding available for this academic year to support research and education initiatives that will complement the existing public facing Disagreeing Well campaign activities and contribute to the overall aims of the programme.

About the Disagreeing Well programme

The UCL Disagreeing Well programme leverages cutting edge research and teaching to equip staff, students, and the wider public with the knowledge and skills to engage in constructive disagreement - including in areas of deep difference. 

Grounded in an evidence-based and interdisciplinary approach, it recognises the role of power, identity, and emotion in disagreement, while cultivating a culture of epistemic humility, openness to different views, careful listening, mutual respect, and tolerance of difference. 

By practising respectful disagreement and providing a convening space for debating contested issues, UCL aims to develop scalable approaches that promote free expression and strengthen democracy, informing educational practice, the quality of civic debate and public policy both at a national and global level. 

About the small project funding pilot

This Disagreeing Well programme would like to pilot supporting research and education based i­nitiatives that will complement existing campaign activities and contribute to the overall aims of the Programme, which are to: 
  • Increase the awareness of the value of disagreeing well (free speech, reasoned dialogue and diversity of thought)  
  • Use research, education and external engagement activities to contribute to creating an evidence base on, and increase the understanding of, how to disagree well  
  • Humbly model and dem­onstrate d­isagreeing well and enhance UCL’s internal and external reputation as an expert on disagreeing well for individuals and society  
  • Demonstrate UCL’s convening power through engagement with academics, communities, and high profile and influential stakeholders. 


For this pilot, there is £40K of funding available to be spent by July 2026. We anticipate the awards could be allocated as below, but with flexibility: 
  • 3 awards of up to £10K 
  • 2+ awards of up to £5K 


Applications where the total project cost exceeds £10K are welcome if the additional funding required to deliver the activity is being provided by a department or another source. 

Please note this is not ongoing funding and equivalent funding cannot be guaranteed for the academic year 2026/27. 

Eligibility

Applications are open to UCL staff members, including Early Career Researchers, who are on a teaching, research, clinical or academic contract across all faculties and departments.  

Applicants must have an open-ended UCL contract or a fixed-term contract which lasts until at least 31 July 2026. Student initiatives may also be considered provided they are led by a member of staff. Honorary staff members are not eligible to apply as lead applicants as they cannot commit or authorise expenditure of UCL funds but may be co-applicants or contribute to the project. All applications will need Head of Department/Division approval prior to submission. 

Criteria

The award panel (comprised of members of the Disagreeing Well Programme Board) will allocate funding to research and education initiatives which best meet the following criteria: 
  • Proposals that clearly show how they will support or contribute to the aims of the Disagreeing Well Programme 
  • Contribution to the research evidence base on disagreeing well, broadly understood 
  • Contribution to education (for example pedagogical approaches, curriculum development) 
  • Proposals that have clear outputs or expected outcomes 
  • Value for money 


Please note, the programme is not looking to fund one-off events this year unless there is a clear education and/or research component to them.

The funding can be used to cover payment for part-time research assistance, however given the timelines, it is not anticipated that this pilot would fund external hires, but that staff would be able to recruit internally. 

Please note the following items are not fundable under this scheme:  
  • Activities that will incur costs after 21 July 2026
  • Capital equipment costs 
  • Article processing costs (publication fees) 
  • Staff ’buy-out’, HEFCE staff cost replacement costs, maintenance fees or bench fees 
  • Conference registration fees and associated costs


The UCL fiscal year-end is 31 July. All expenses must be invoiced by that date, with costed activities completed by Friday 21 July 2026. Use of awarded funds cannot be deferred to a later date. 

Ethical approval and due diligence

Please check UCL’s guidelines regarding research ethics. Applicants are responsible for reading these guidelines and ensuring projects adhere to UCL’s ethical approval policy and process 

Reporting requirements

For any funded projects, the ’Main Applicant’ will be responsible for reporting back to the Disagreeing Well Programme Board on the outputs and impacts of the project. This will take place at the end of June (progress update) and at the end of September (outcomes). 

Timeline

: Applications open  

3 March 2026: Applications close at 5pm 

4-10 March 2026: Award Panel review and decision 

By 13 March 2026: Applicants updated on outcome 

w/c 16 March 2026: Funding available to successful applicants 

: Interim status report shared with Disagreeing Well Programme Board   

: Deadline by which all project costs must be claimed and paid for 

2 Oct 2026: Project outcome report to Disagreeing Well Programme Board 

How to apply

The application form is available to download (Word document, 42kb)

Completed applications must be submitted by email to  projects.president.provost@ucl.ac.uk  by 5 pm on Tuesday 3 March 2026.  

 If you have any questions or queries, please contact the team at the above email address.  
  • University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT (0) 20 7679 2000