The British Institute for the Study of Iraq - BISI

16/03/2026

We are inviting applications for our Outreach Grants (up to £1,000) to support public or academic engagement events that focus on the lands and peoples of Iraq. Topics may cover any time period from prehistory to the medieval period to the present.

Deadline: 1st April 2026

For more info & to apply:
https://www.bisi.ac.uk/grants-scholarships/

(All images are copyright to their respective owners. For reproduction requests please email [email protected])

10/03/2026

We are now inviting applications for our Research & Conference (up to £6,000) and Pilot Project Grants (up to £10,000) to support research focusing principally on the lands and peoples of Iraq.

We welcome applications from the full range of arts, humanities and social sciences subjects, and topics may cover any time period from prehistory to the medieval period to the present.

Deadline: 1st April 2026

For more info & to apply:
https://www.bisi.ac.uk/grants-scholarships/

(Photo from the 'Documenting the Endangered Historic Houses of Najaf' project, funded by the British Academy and supported by BISI)

26/02/2026

Thank you to all who attended our Annual February Lecture

And a very special thank you to Dr Mary Shepperson for an enriching and enlightening lecture on 'Najaf Above & Below: The Vanishing Old Town & its Subterranean Counterpart'

You can now watch the lecture here:

Najaf is a unique city shaped by Islamic learning and pilgrimage, centred on the Holy Shrine of Imam Ali. The shrine sits at the centre of the old town, whic...

09/01/2026

Call for Papers: Ottoman Mobilities and Interactions

Investigating the Ottoman Empire as a dynamic web of circulation in which people, objects, & ideas continually reshaped the imperial fabric

Symposium, 13-14 April 2026, Istanbul

Deadline: 23 Jan 2026

Ottoman Mobilities and Interactions

17/11/2025

We’re hiring!

The BISI is recruiting a part-time Administrative Assistant to support the work of the Institute from its London office.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a small but dynamic team supporting BISI’s mission to advance knowledge of Iraq, its history, society, and culture. The Administrative Assistant will be working closely with the Executive Officer to manage the day-to-day running of the London office and will provide essential administrative and organisational support to BISI’s activities in the UK.

Apply by 9 Dec 2025

For more information and to apply: https://www.bisi.ac.uk/news-events/latest-news/were-hiring/

Applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK.

13/10/2025

We are delighted to announce that we are now accepting applications for our Visiting Iraqi Scholarship Programme.

Annual Deadline: 1 December

For more information and to apply: https://www.bisi.ac.uk/grants-scholarships/bisi-visiting-iraqi-scholarship-scheme/

We are offering two to four Visiting Scholarships each year to enable Iraqi scholars, cultural heritage professionals and NGO workers from Iraq to visit the UK for up to 2 two months to engage in research, training and collaborative projects.

Projects should focus on the history, society and culture of Iraq from earliest times until the present. We welcome applications from scholars involved in the following fields: anthropology; archaeology; history; geography; languages; and other areas in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

All applicants must be currently based in Iraq and should demonstrate how a scholarship in the UK will strengthen the research and cultural heritage environment in Iraq.

Enables Iraqi scholars and professionals to engage in short-term research and collaborative projects in the UK.

18/09/2025

We're delighted to announce the publication of a new peer-reviewed article, 'New evidence for Pleistocene hominin presence in the north-east Arabian Desert, Iraq' by Dr's Ella Egberts, Jaafar Jotheri, and Andreas Nymark. The article and work was made possible by the BISI Pilot Project Grant.

Abstract: Despite lying at a crossroad of Pleistocene hominin dispersals, little is known about human occupation in Iraq during this period. An archaeological survey in the Western Desert is revealing recurrent hominin activity at Shbicha, highlighting the region’s potential in advancing our understanding of hominin behaviour and dispersal across South-west Asia.

Please join us in congratulating the research team and everyone involved in bringing this important work to fruition.

It's fantastic to see the important research supported by our Pilot Project scheme making an impact.

New evidence for Pleistocene hominin presence in the north-east Arabian Desert, Iraq

15/08/2025

‘It’s destruction disguised as progress’: how the oil industry is sucking Iraq’s ancient wetlands dry

Hawizeh’s wetlands once had abundant fishing and wildlife. In a land threatened by drought and desertification, oil drilling is draining the last of the water

Hawizeh’s wetlands once had abundant fishing and wildlife. In a land threatened by drought and desertification, oil drilling is draining the last of the water

29/07/2025

BISI funded Pilot Project leads to Archaeologists uncovering 1.5-million-year-old hand axes in Iraqi desert

Archaeologists have made a breakthrough in Iraq’s Western Desert, where 7 Paleolithic sites have been discovered comprising over 850 stone tools