Led by Professor Anand Menon, the group conducts research on the relationship between the UK and the European Union, providing non-partisan analysis of Brexit.

The extended funding will allow the initiative to run for another three years.

The ESRC will also fund nine new senior fellows, including Professor John Curtice from the National Centre for Social Research, to join The UK in a Changing Europe.

The other senior fellows are: Professor David Bailey, University of Birmingham; Professor Catherine Barnard and Dr Meredith Crowley from the University of Cambridge; Professor Sarah Hall, University of Nottingham; Dr Katy Hayward, Queen’s University Belfast; Professor Hussein Kassim, University of East Anglia; Edinburgh University’s Professor Nicola McEwen; and Professor Meg Russell, University College London.

The academics will focus mainly on the impact and dissemination of existing research and provide evidence and analysis on issues affected by Brexit, but will also undertake new research where appropriate. 

Jeremy Neathey, deputy director of research at ESRC, said: "ESRC continues to be committed to providing a strong evidence base to inform what is the most critical issue facing not just the immediate, but also the longer term, future of the UK. We fund research across a range of initiatives which allow us to better understand the profound implications of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. The appointment of this cohort is a crucial part of that effort and builds on the valuable work of the previous fellows."

Professor Anand Menon, director of The UK in a Changing Europe, said the group has the opportunity to use social science to inform "not only public policy but also political and public debates about the future of the UK and its relationship with the EU".