Future Leaders Fellowships: round eight

This scheme is for early career researchers and innovators who are either:

• are transitioning to or establishing independence
• may be developing their own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting

You do not need to hold a PhD and there are no eligibility rules based on the number of years since your PhD. However, if you do not hold a PhD, you must be able to demonstrate equivalent research or innovation experience or training.

There are no eligibility rules based on whether you currently hold a permanent or open-ended academic position or job role.

Applicants who have already achieved research or innovation independence (for example, by securing funding aimed at this career stage, or by already managing their own significant programme of work within a business) should not apply. Senior academics and innovators are not permitted to apply.

Further information on eligibility is at the link below.

Fellows hosted by an academic organisation may spend up to six hours a week (pro rata for part-time applicants) on other commitments or related activities, provided they enhance career development. Those with substantial ongoing research commitments as a result of participation in other grants must relinquish these in order to hold a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships award.

Fellows hosted by a non-academic organisation can come from commercial organisations of any size, in any sector or region. Reduced-hours fellowships are available to applicants hosted by a non-academic organisation. This enables fellows to spend up to 40% of their time (not funded by UKRI) on other activities within the organisation in order to enhance their career.

Fellowships must be held at a UK-based organisation currently registered as eligible to apply for funding from the research councils. Details of individual eligibility and lists of recognised institutes and independent research organisations can be found in our information about eligibility for research funding.

For academic applicants, full proposals should highlight the institution’s commitment to the salary of the fellow. It should provide commitment to an open-ended UK-based independent research or innovation position, to be taken up during or on completion of the fellowship in line with organisational employment policies and practices.

Non-academic organisations hosting fellowships should provide an innovation or research environment and must be registered companies (incorporated by either companies house or the charity commission) and public bodies. Fellowships will only be awarded to support research or innovation above and beyond the standard activities of the organisation.

We’re looking to fund fellowships of up to seven years to support talented researchers and innovators who are transitioning to research or innovation leadership.

Fellowships will be funded for four years in the first phase, with the option to apply to renew for a further three years later on.

The scheme aims to:

• develop, retain, attract and sustain research and innovation talent in the UK
• foster new research and innovation career paths including those at the academic, business and interdisciplinary boundaries, and facilitate movement of people between sectors
• provide sustained funding and resources for the best early career researchers and innovators
• provide long-term, flexible funding to tackle difficult and novel challenges, and support adventurous, ambitious programmes

Applications are welcome from the entirety of the UKRI remit, and we have not seen a difference in the award rates between applications from different disciplines. We welcome and encourage applicants from remits including the arts, humanities and social sciences and the seven technology families, as launched in the UK’s innovation strategy.

Fellowships can also lead and develop innovation. We define innovation as the practical translation of disruptive ideas into novel, relevant and valued products, services, processes, systems or business models, making them readily available to markets, government and society, creating economic or social value from ideas.

Future Leaders Fellowships are personal awards to support fellows to develop as impactful and influential research or innovation leaders.

You are encouraged to think broadly about the type of activities you may pursue as part of your research or innovation objectives. This could include:

• time for work in other environments
• developing international links
• developing new skills (for example, in policy or commercialisation)

There is no limit to the amount of funding you can request under this scheme, but requests must be appropriate to the project and you must be able to justify the amount you need to meet the objectives of your proposal.

The Future Leaders Fellowships scheme has funded fellowships from £300,000 to over £2 million, and there is no preference for lower or higher cost proposals.

The fellowship will provide salary support. For academic and Catapult-hosted fellows in partnership with the host, this is tapered throughout the fellowship, with host organisations required to commit to funding an increasing percentage of the applicant’s salary as the fellowship progresses.

The host organisation’s supporting letter should commit to the salary of the fellow. For academic applicants, it should confirm an open-ended UK-based independent research or innovation position to be taken up during or on the completion of the fellowship (in line with organisational employment policies and practices).

You must apply using the Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system. Further guidance is available at the link below.

UKRI must receive your application by 4 July 2023 at 4:00pm UK time.

You will not be able to apply after this time. Please leave enough time for your proposal to pass through your organisation’s Je-S submission route before this date.

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

UKRI will be providing three pre-recorded briefings to give an overview of the scheme and answer common queries for:

• research office staff who support potential applicants in applying
• academic-hosted applicants
• non-academic-hosted applicants

Recordings will be uploaded to the UKRI website in the coming weeks.

Future Leaders Fellowships team

Email: fellows@ukri.org

The team aim to respond within three working days.