BAAL Applied Linguistics Fund

Engaging users in the research process and generating impact are important parts of the applied linguistics research agenda. The BAAL Applied Linguistics Fund supports members by offering up to £25,000 to carry out innovative activities which link research and impact/public engagement.

Applications are invited from any members of BAAL. In the case of joint applications, the lead applicant must be a member of BAAL. Funded activities can take place in the UK or overseas, from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027.

The fund will be available for a single activity or a series of connected activities that bring BAAL members (including students) together with research users (e.g., community groups, policy makers, teachers, companies, lawyers, health workers, charities) in innovative ways.

Given the challenges that our discipline, along with other SHAPE subjects, is facing in the current Higher Education landscape, we particularly encourage applications seeking to advocate for, or promote, applied linguistics. Applications with this theme may be related to one or more of the following:

• Engagement with, and impact on, national and international debates related to language, language teaching and language use.

• Successful lobbying of decision-makers on matters of concern to applied linguists.

• The delivery and evaluation of an applied linguistic research project whose benefits are widely disseminated and clearly understood by the public.

• The promotion/showcasing of applied linguistics as a valuable source of theory and methods for use in various contexts, including, for example: education, translation, language planning and policy, (mental) health, the heritage sector, and legal and law enforcement contexts.

• Any other research designed to raise awareness of the role of applied linguistics in solving individual and societal problems in which language is believed to be part of the issue, and the evaluating of these solutions together with the people experiencing the problem.

To apply, please complete the online application form: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/JqmSE9xpVD and share supporting documents to funding@baal.org.uk by 1st April.

For further guidance, please consult the complete call for applications 2025/26.

Further examples of successful applications from previous rounds are available by following the link below to ‘past awardees’.

Past awardees

An interview with Guy Cook, Instigator of the scheme