UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships: round 11

Apply for funding to support ambitious research and innovation across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s remit.

You must be a researcher or innovator who is either looking to establish or transition to independence.

You must be based at, and have the support of, a UK organisation eligible for UKRI funding.

There is no minimum or maximum project cost. UKRI will fund 80% of the full economic cost (FEC).

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.

Fellowships must be held at a UK-based organisation that meets the following criteria:

  • a UK-based organisation currently registered as eligible to apply for funding from UKRI
  • any non-academic organisation eligible to receive subsidies from the UK government that will provide an innovation or research environment of international standing
  • academic-hosted applicants (including NHS trusts) should apply via the UKRI Funding Service and non-academic hosted applicants (including charities) via Innovation Funding Service. Catapults should apply through the Funding Service if eligible, if not they can apply via the Innovation Funding Service

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

Aim

This funding opportunity 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

In your application, you must clearly demonstrate and articulate the following:

  • what you are hoping to achieve with and how will you deliver your proposed work
  • why you are the right individual to successfully deliver the proposed work
  • why this fellowship is the right way to develop your career and how will you use it to benefit others
  • how the host organisation will support your fellowship
  • what ethical or RRI implications and issues are relating to the proposed work
  • what you will need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost

Scope

Applications are encouraged from the entirety of the UKRI remit. We welcome and encourage applicants from remits including the arts, humanities and social sciences and the five critical technologies as set out in the Department for Science and Innovation’s Science and Technology Framework.

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 (FLF)’s 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)

You should also consider what career development support opportunities are appropriate. This could include mentoring and professional training and development, and relevant training courses that will underpin your future career ambitions and learning. A clear programme of skills development is an essential component of this fellowship.

The fellowship may be made up of a single programme of work, or multiple consecutive or concurrent interlinked projects, led by the fellow (known as a ‘Portfolio Fellowship’).

There is flexibility to alter the programme once a project is underway to ensure you can:

  • react to the changing research landscape
  • capitalise on advances in understanding
  • react to changing business needs

In all cases, the work must allow you to fully develop your leadership potential and result in high quality research or innovation, or both.

Duration

The duration of this award is up to seven years.

Fellowships will be funded for four years in the first instance (or equivalent length of time extended pro rata for part-time applicants), with the option to apply to renew for a further three years during the last year of the fellowship.

Who is eligible to apply

Researchers and innovators who are either transitioning to or establishing independence or developing their own original and ambitious plans within a commercial setting. There are no eligibility rules based on whether you currently hold a permanent or open-ended position or job role.

To assess and justify your suitability, go to supporting documents in the ‘Additional information’ section and read the person specification annex in the ‘Round 11 Guidance for Academic-hosted Applicants’.

For applicants based in academic organisations, there is a fixed cap on the number of applicants who can apply from each institution. Full details are provided in the ‘Additional information’ section. Please ensure you notify your host organisation of your intention to apply and allow time for internal shortlisting processes.

UKRI cannot confirm eligibility prior to submission.

Who is not eligible to apply

You are not eligible to apply if:

  • you have already achieved research or innovation independence, for example, by securing funding aimed at this career stage or by already managing your own significant programme of work within a business
  • you are a senior academic or innovator

Application deadline: 16 June 2026 4:00pm UK time

For more information, please visit https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/future-leaders-fellowship-round-11/