Opportunities to collaborate with us on research projects. As an Independent Research Organisation (IRO), we collaborate with other researchers — including doctoral students — to create new knowledge about our collection, services and infrastructure.
We lead and collaborate with specialists from other cultural organisations and universities on research of all kinds.
We support postgraduate research through a range of programmes for doctoral students and work with partners and funders to offer a variety of fellowship programmes for scholars to pursue their own research interests and develop professional expertise.
Read our research strategy, find out about priority research areas and take a look at current and past projects.
Photo by Sam Walton
We support research at all stages through a variety of opportunities. Find out how to collaborate with us and about our regular schemes including PhD placements, Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships and fellowships.
As well as these projects, opportunities for researchers are announced throughout the year across all areas of the Library. Search and apply for all open opportunities, and keep up to date by subscribing to our research mailing list.
If you're interested in collaborating with us, please complete our Research Proposal form. Your proposal will be processed by the Research Development team and will then be distributed to the relevant teams to assess strategic alignment and capacity to support. We particularly welcome approaches which relate to our priority research themes. The Library will prioritise truly collaborative proposals that make a direct contribution to our strategic objectives, go beyond the use of our Reading Rooms and consider the Library more than a service provider.
Please contact us at the earliest possible stage when developing a proposal. To involve us in your funding bid, the following minimum timescales apply prior to submission:
Please note that these timescales are indicative only and more time may be required depending on the complexity of our involvement.
We co-supervise doctoral research in partnership with universities, covering a range of disciplines and subject areas.
This includes projects developed through the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award programme as well as co-supervision of collaborative PhDs funded through Doctoral Focal Awards, other doctoral training entities and individual research projects.
If you are an academic interested in working with a member of Library staff as a PhD co-supervisor, please complete our Research Proposal form.
PhD studentships are available each year, through the AHRC’s Collaborative Doctoral Landscape Award programme, to support collaborative doctoral research projects drawing on our collection, resources and expertise.
We select a limited number of strategic doctoral research themes each year through internal staff consultation.
Following selection of our research themes, we issue an open call for proposals from academics at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) interested in co-supervising doctoral research around one of these themes. Academics are invited to develop the theme according to their own research interests and expertise. The call window is usually open in the autumn, for projects starting in October of the following year.
We provide the student with staff-level access to our collections, expertise and facilities, as well as financial support for research-related costs of up to £1,000 a year.
Once recruited, the successful PhD candidate will contribute to the development of the final agreed research project.
The call for 2027–28 partners is now open.
Our annual placement scheme offers doctoral researchers from all disciplines the chance to develop and apply transferable skills and expertise outside the university sector.
Projects cover activities ranging from cataloguing, conservation and interpretation to policy research, resource development and community engagement. The duration for each placement is 3 months (or part-time equivalent). Most placements are also suitable for part-time students, and there may be opportunities to undertake placements remotely which will be indicated on the individual project profiles.
Applications will open for the 2027–28 scheme in January 2027.
Please note that we do not accept applications for PhD placements outside of this scheme.
We work with a range of partners and funders to offer a variety of fellowships for projects based at the Library, and grants to support individual research using our collection.
Short-term placements lasting three to four months (or part-time equivalent). Annual and other regular opportunities include:
A collections-based fellowship, designed to encourage the use of our collection in sustainability and environmental research. Applications for this opportunity will open again in 2027.
Designed to encourage the discovery, promotion and use of our expansive European collections, generously funded by the Mainz Charitable Trust. Applications for this opportunity will open again in 2027.
Lasting 12+ months (or part-time equivalent), designed for postdoctoral, early-career researchers. Annual and other regular opportunities include:
Designed to support and equip researchers, creatives and cultural professionals with the practical skills, professional insight and interdisciplinary experience needed to thrive in a rapidly changing knowledge landscape. Applications for this opportunity will open again in 2027. Find out more about the scheme.
We currently award two professional development fellowships each year through a special collaboration with Chevening, the UK government's international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders.
These fellowships are designed for mid-career professionals wishing to develop their career by engaging with collections, resources and audiences at the Library and working in close dialogue with our staff, fostering international skills exchange and collaboration.
Applications for this opportunity will open in 2027. Find out more about the scheme.
Our annual programme of Doctoral Open Days offers research students an introduction to the practicalities of using the Library and help navigating our physical and online collection. The series includes an online introduction session, followed by in-person Open Days, each focused on an area of our collection.
To find out which would be most suitable for your research, email pgr@bl.uk.
A library card that gives you free access to our world-leading collection and Reading Rooms in London and Yorkshire.
Explore the British Library's collection of over 170 million items, such as books, manuscripts, newspapers, maps, sound recordings, photographs and digital resources
For enquiries related to research collaborations, please email research.development@bl.uk.
For enquiries related to our postgraduate programme, please email pgr@bl.uk.
For enquiries about a specific research opportunity, check the project page for the correct contact details.
If you wish to collaborate with us on a research project, please complete our form.
Be the first to hear about opportunities with the Library, updates on our ground-breaking research and special events when you join our mailing list.
By clicking 'Sign up' you agree that you wish to regularly receive news and update emails from the British Library. You can unsubscribe at any time. View our Privacy Policy for more information.
If you encounter any problems subscribing, or would like to update your interests, please contact us.
