Call for Applications

The UCL Research Centre for the Study of Places, Identities, and Memories (PIMs) is delighted to announce the availability of small grants of up to £400 to support research, events, and research projects that align with the Centre’s mission.

Eligibility Criteria
•    Applicants must be affiliated with PIMs and engaged in its activities (applications from individuals not engaged with our work will be rejected);
•    Applications must be relevant to PIMs work (see below);
•    Applications must be feasibly implemented by June 2025;
•    Noted: preference will be given to SSEES and UCL staff and research students, but anyone with a suitable project who fulfils the eligibility criteria above is welcome to apply.

Scope of Funding
Grants of up to £400 may be used for activities that enhance the research and academic goals of PIMs, including but not limited to:
•    Organizing seminars or workshops;
•    Participation in conferences or academic events related to the themes of PIMs;
•    Data collection such as conducting small-scale field trips, access to databases or archival research;
•    Other related projects.
 
Expectations
Grant recipients will be required to present the outcomes of their work at PIMs in the following academic year.
 
Application Process
Applicants should submit the following:
1.    A brief proposal (maximum 500 words) outlining the project and a time plan;
2.    A budget breakdown with justification for expenses;
3.    A statement of how the project aligns with PIMs’ research themes (max 250 words).
 
Deadlines
Applications must be submitted by 8 May 2025. Please note that all financial claims must be submitted by 30 June 2025 the latest.  

Submission
Please send your application materials to pims@ucl.ac.uk with the subject line “PIMs Small Grant Application”.
 
About PIMs
The interdisciplinary Research Centre for Places, Identities, and Memories (PIMs) is dedicated to exploring how “space” transforms into “place” and the profound implications this has for people’s lives and futures. Through its work, PIMs seeks to unravel the complex relationships between geography, identity, memory, and belonging, addressing questions that are critical for understanding contemporary Central, Eastern, and South eastern Europe (C/SEE).
 
PIMs focuses on a series of overarching questions that guide its research agenda:
•    Formation of Places and Identities: How are places, and the identities tied to them, shaped by factors such as history, geography, economy, culture, and human mobility?
•    Divisions of Space and Their Implications: What political, social, and economic consequences emerge from the ways spaces are divided into distinct places?
•    Role of Memory and Identity: How do memory and identity forge a sense of belonging and influence the experience of a place?
•    Intergenerational Memory: In what ways is the history of a place reconstructed across generations through memories and identities?
•    Impact of Crises and Technological Changes: How are crises, shocks, and technological developments reshaping people’s understanding of spaces and places?
 
By engaging with these questions, PIMs not only advances academic understanding but also contributes to broader societal debates about belonging, identity, and the ways we relate to the spaces and places around us.