The 2025 ECRP

Prize objective

This prize will give early career housing researchers an opportunity to showcase their work to a wide and influential audience. This is the fifth year that the competition has run. We want to promote shared learning across the housing sector and encourage early researchers in their career.

Entry criteria and requirements

The competition is open to those with up to eight years’ research experience.

We welcome candidates with or without a PhD, and those working within academic or non-academic institutions (the voluntary sector, think tanks, membership organisations, the media, housing associations, local authorities etc).

Please note that time spent in doctoral-level research study counts as research experience (as such, entrants who spent three years completing their PhD may have up to five year’s further work experience).

Co-authored papers are permitted in cases where all authors meet the entry requirements. If there are multiple authors on the paper submitted and not all the authors are entering the prize, please indicate how much of the work was completed by the applicant/s.

It is open to UK and non-UK applicants.

Applicants from Sponsor organisations may apply, on the basis they declare their interest.

It is our preference that papers have a focus that matches the broad interests of Thinkhouse.  This is policy publications that cover ways to increase the amount and quality of the UK’s housing stock and the related economic, social and community benefits of doing so. We are also interested in international research that has relevance to UK housing. If you have a paper that does not match this outline but relates to housing and connected issues then please contact us before submitting as the judging panel may accept your application.

We will consider think pieces, review papers synthesising existing evidence and policy analysis, research-based business cases/board papers/insight pieces from within housing associations or local authority landlords, papers sharing the findings of original empirical research or investigative journalism type pieces. Journal articles or other papers already published or under review will be accepted.

Submission should be between 4,000-8,000 words in length and submitted in a MS Word format, which includes the following information: author(s) name(s), any institutional/organisational affiliation, current job title (if applicable), email address, paper title, 200 word abstract and word count.

Papers must be submitted to contact@thinkhouse.org.uk by 17.00 Thursday 25th September. Please note that we will retain a copy of your contact information for communicating about future iterations of the prize. If you do not wish to be contacted in future, please let us know when submitting your paper (this will not affect judgement of your entry).

 

 

The winning entry

Authors of the winning paper will be awarded a £500 cheque, will have the result covered by our media partner, Inside Housing, and have their paper published on the Thinkhouse website. We reserve the right to have editorial control over any item published on the site.

The winner will be announced at Homes UK conference on Tuesday 25th November 2025. Applicants should ensure they are available for the prize ceremony.

Judging criteria

• Writing style/clarity.
• Engagement with literature and theory.
• Methods.
• Empirical rigour/theoretical depth.
• Strength of conclusions.
• The extent of how the research is outcome and impact-focused so that it contributes to useful knowledge exchange.
• The scalability of the research (i.e. the scope to make a widespread difference).

About Thinkhouse

Thinkhouse is a free online library of research pieces, policy publications and case studies that propose ways to increase the amount and quality of the UK's housing stock and the related economic, social and community benefits of doing this. https://thinkhouse.org.uk/

Judging panel 2025

• Richard Hyde, Panel Chair and Thinkhouse founder 

• Dawn Fowler-Stevens, Aster Group 

• Fayann Simpson, L&Q 

• Helen Taylor, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Thinkhouse Editorial Panel Member 

• Karen Gregory, Aster Group 

• Ken Gibb, University of Glasgow, Thinkhouse Editorial Panel Member 

• Martin Hilditch, Inside Housing 

• Stephen Aldridge, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 

• Steve Moseley, L&Q 

• Bekah Ryder, Altair, Thinkhouse Editorial Panel Member

 

Sponsors

Prize sponsors for 2025 are:

Altair Ltd 

Growth, income generation, long-term sustainability, driving innovation and more. Whatever your challenge and opportunity, we’re committed to driving positive change for organisations through insight and innovation.  

 

Altair’s team supports socially-focused organisations that make a difference to people’s lives and the places they live. Our people have direct experience of - and a passion for - housing, local authorities, charities, sports bodies and educational institutions, across the UK and internationally. 

Through our unique perspective of the fast-paced landscape you operate in, combined with practical analysis and strategic insights, we leverage deep industry expertise and empower you to make evidence-based decisions that deliver greater impact. 

We have the independent expertise and insights to help transform organisations and achieve greater positive impact on those they exist to help. 

 

With our in-depth insight and innovation, we deliver services including the following: 

 

• Governance, Strategy and Regulation 

• Corporate Finance, Procurement, Treasury and Viability 

• Digital, Data and Technology 

• Development and Regeneration 

• Asset Management, Sustainability and ESG 

• People, Organisational Development, and Transformation 

• Community Impact, Fundraising and Income Generation 

• Research and Insights 

 

Aster Group 

Aster Group is a housing association which provides quality, affordable homes to thousands of people across the south of England and London. Its vision is that everyone has a home.  Aster’s skilled team is committed to providing a good, seamless service, delivered excellently, with a strong personalised focus. They constantly listen to and engage with customers to co-design and improve their offer so customers feel empowered to thrive.  

 

Aster Group is committed to playing its part in tackling the housing shortage by delivering a wide range of housing options. During 2023/24 the business delivered 997 homes offering affordable and social rent, shared ownership and open market sale options and is set to provide circa 1,175 new homes during 2024/25. Looking ahead the Group plans to invest £1.9 billion to achieve its long-term target to deliver 8,500 homes over the next seven years. Aster is on track for meeting and exceeding its goal to ensure the energy efficiency in all its homes meet at least EPC C standard by 2030.   

 

The not-for-dividend business was established in 1990 and has £2.4 billion worth of social housing assets. The Group reinvests profits from open market sale and shared ownership to support the development of affordable homes. It owns and maintains over 37,000 homes and employs nearly 2,000 people. For more information, visit www.aster.co.uk.   

 

Aster is relentless in its mission to extend a positive impact into its communities. This is achieved in many ways including through The Aster Foundation, which is a registered charity. For more information visit www.aster.co.uk/foundation.   

 

Central and Cecil Housing Trust (C&C), East Boro Housing Trust (EBHT) and Enham Trust form part of the Aster Group. For further information visit: www.ccht.org.uk, www.ebht.org.uk  and www.enhamtrust.org.uk.    

 

Inside Housing  

Inside Housing is the leading monthly magazine for housing professionals in the UK and the first choice for anyone looking for a job in housing. With its lively mix of news, features and analysis, housing professionals rely on Inside Housing to keep them fully updated on everything in the social housing world. 

 

L&Q 

L&Q house around 250,000 people in more than 105,000 homes, primarily across London and the South East. Their vision is that everyone deserves a quality home that provides them with the opportunity to live a better life. This echoes their purpose to provide homes and neighbourhoods everyone can be proud of, achieved by delivering safe, high-quality homes, services and support for all of their residents.