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British Academy News. June 2015. News.
British Academy highlights complexities of postgraduate funding

Under the Coalition, the Government opened a consultation on proposals to introduce loans for postgraduate taught master's degrees and to improve support for postgraduate research students. The Academy has now responded, welcoming the opportunity to contribute to this important review, particularly following our previous work in this area. The response notes with enthusiasm the Government's commitment to providing loans for taught postgraduate study. It also highlights the complexities of the postgraduate research ecosystem, suggesting that the most efficient and effective method for funding the very best PhD students is through the Research Councils' studentships.
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Data skills: The state of the nation
A British Academy State of the Nation report will highlight the need for stronger data skills when it is launched this month. Based on a thorough analysis of the evidence on the supply and demand for these skills, it will outline the major opportunities that exist for the UK through greater engagement in the 'data revolution', particularly in terms of strengthening its economic competitiveness and position as a global leader in Higher Education research and innovation. The Academy argues that while the challenges and solutions sit primarily within our education system, the opportunities that stem from a more data literate population demand the attention of decision makers at the highest level. The report will be available here after its launch, scheduled for 25 June.
45 New postdoctorial fellowships announced
The British Academy has awarded 45 new Postdoctoral Fellowships to start in Autumn 2015, based at a range of different UK universities. These three year Fellowships – spanning research topics from the econometrics of Climate Change to the Graphic Novel in South Africa – enable exceptional early career scholars to complete a landmark research project and fulfil their outstanding potential by giving them the best opportunity to build a long and successful academic career in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Over 1,000 PDF awards have been made since the British Academy began this flagship scheme in 1986.
Further details
Early career researchers at a training session organised by The British Academy
Early career researchers at a training session organised by the British Academy.
Deadlines for forthcoming British Academy funding calls:
24 June
Call opens for Newton Advanced Fellowships and Newton Mobility Grants (round 2)

Mid-August
Call opens for Mid-Career Fellowships 2016

Late August
Call for Postdoctoral Fellowships 2016 opens

Second week of September
Call for British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants (up to £10k) opens

Academy issues call for evidence on interdisciplinarity
In May, the Academy launched a call for evidence for a new project examining the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary work in research and higher education. We want to hear from individual academics, university managers, funders and publishers about their experiences of engaging with interdisciplinarity, the success stories and the challenges. The call for evidence is open until the end of June. For more information, please contact the Academy's Policy team on policy@britac.ac.uk.
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How does the language you speak shape your experience of the internet?
As part of the British Academy's two-year partnership with The Guardian to showcase the importance of languages and language learning, the shared online platform, The Case for Language Learning, has launched a new interactive page exploring the relationship between languages and the internet.
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Academy holds its first donor reception
President Lord Stern hosted the Academy's first Donor Reception on 12 May to thank all those who have given financial support in the last twelve months. The evening featured a dozen former award holders speaking to guests informally about their Academy-funded research, providing the opportunity for donors to learn more about the research their support makes possible. The event will be repeated in future years.
Forthcoming Events
Was this Britain's first big data election?
Tuesday 7 July, 1:30pm – 5pm
An event reflecting on the role of big data and data analysis in the May 2015 election, and on the future implications of the increasing availability of data and new analytical methods, takes place on 7 July at the Royal Statistical Society. A partnership between the RSS, the Political Studies Association and the British Academy, it will explore issues of polling data, data driven micro-targeting of voters, the role of civil society to verify statistical claims in the public domain, the rise of data journalism and data visualisation, and the impact of all this on the political process. It will involve contributions from political scientists, statisticians, journalists, data visualisers and social media experts, discussing how big data is changing our politics – for better or worse.

Follow the event on Twitter #BigDataElection.
More information
Energy and the Environment Energy and the environment
September to November 2015
The next series of The British Academy Debates will be exploring one of the most urgent challenges of our time: energy and the environment. Four events – in London (two), Swansea and Edinburgh – will feature leading speakers considering how we can meet the demands of an ever-growing, and increasingly urban, world population; how we can change consumer behaviour to take into account the effect the choices we make about our energy have on other countries and future generations; and how we can make changes to the global energy and financial systems to ensure the requisite targets are met for tackling climate change.
Register now
March 27 Tackling Today's Terrorists: The challenges for national security
6.30 – 8pm
In Conversation.

Venue: The British Academy, 10-11 Cartlon House Terrace.
More information
March 27 Out of the Ashes: Europe's rebirth after the Second World War, 1945-1949
6 – 7.15pm
Raleigh Lecture on History by Professor Sir Ian Kershaw FBA.

Venue: The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace.
More information
March 27 Who reads Geography or History anymore? The challenge of audience in a digital age
6 – 7.15pm
Lecture in Geography by Professor William Cronon.

Venue: The Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR.
More information
March 27 Racial Discrimination and Criminal Justice in the EU
6 – 7.30pm
Panel Discussion.

Venue: The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace.
More information
Recent events - catch up now!
The 2015 general election
Two special public panel discussions were convened by the British Academy in April and May to analyse the possible and actual outcomes of the 2015 General Election. What Happens When No-one Wins?, held the week before the election, was chaired by Radio 4's Paddy O'Connell and looked at the lessons from history and the constitutional implications of hung Parliaments. This was followed three weeks after the election with a second discussion, chaired by The Daily Telegraph's Sue Cameron, examining the issues that emerged, the fallout, and the implications for the future for electoral polling.

Both events can be watched here.
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'Other worlds': Literature Week 2015
Marina Warner The British Academy explored the fantastical and the magical with six days of free events in May on fairy tales and folk tales. Authors, academics and social commentators were brought together, taking different routes to delve into why we are still so captivated by the chance to escape to other worlds. On the fourth night the Academy held its first Late Night, opening the building after hours for a host of activities, talks and workshops. Large audiences listened to talks on the evolution of folk tales and the political power of make believe, heard live storytelling, explored our pop up exhibition and made their own edible books. Other highlights during the week included Dame Marina Warner FBA in conversation with author Marcus Sedgwick, lunchtime lectures at the British Library and an exclusive performance of The Party Planner's Tale, part of Globe Education's Shakespeare Untold series.

Missed out? Watch Marina Warner open Literature Week 2015.
Listen here
British Academy back at Hay
South African Vice-Chancellor recognised for outstanding contribution to transcultural understanding The British Academy returned to Hay Festival this year as one of the festival's Education Partners with two events. Academy President Nick Stern spoke to ITV's Science Correspondent Alok Jha ahead of the publication of his new book: Why Are We Waiting? The Logic, Urgency, and Promise of Tackling Climate Change. And this year's British Academy Lecture at Hay was delivered by Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch FBA, on 'Sex and the West', linked to his recent BBC TV series.

Listen to Nick Stern in conversation with Alok Jha.
Listen here
New publications
Roman Sculpture from London and the South-East cover
Roman Sculpture from London and the South-East
by Penny Combe, Francis Grew, Kevin Hayward and Martin Henig
(Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani (Great Britain), vol. 1, fascicule 10)
A new book documenting beautiful sculptures in marble, bronze and limestone from Roman London and the South-East, preserved in the Museum of London, the British Museum and other collections. It provides a complete illustrated catalogue of these sculptures, containing 84 plates, 20 of them in full colour. Martin Henig describes some of them and their importance in a short video filmed at the Museum of London.

Watch the video here
When the Party's Over: The Politics of Fiscal Squeeze in Perspective cover
Insular Books: Vernacular Manuscript Miscellanies in Late Medieval Britain
edited by Margaret Connolly and Raluca Radulescu
(Proceedings of the British Academy, vol. 201)
Medieval miscellanies are manuscripts made up of varied contents, often in a mixture of languages. They might be the work of one compiler or several, and might have been put together over a short period of time or over many years (even over several generations). Such mixed manuscripts are much more common that we might imagine and indeed are a typical environment for the survival of medieval texts. The essays in this volume investigate how to define miscellanies and reveal their cultural significance.
A full list of recent publications can be found here.
Further information on the activities highlighted above, and many others,
can be found on the British Academy website: www.britishacademy.ac.uk
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