Future Leaders Fellowships: round 11 is sponsored by UKRI. Supports early career researchers and innovators establishing leadership in research and innovation across UKRI remit, including biomedical research through MRC.

Future Leaders Fellowships: round 11 – UKRI Funding opportunity: Future Leaders Fellowships: round 11 UK Research and Innovation, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) , Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) , Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) , Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) , Innovate UK , Medical Research Council (MRC) , Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) , Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) 2 February 2026 9:00am UK time 16 June 2026 4:00pm UK time Last updated: 14 April 2026 - see all updates 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 For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual . 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 Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants.

We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers. We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns from diverse career backgrounds coming to the UK from abroad.

Researchers and innovators are eligible for a Global Talent visa under the ‘exceptional promise’ category for future research leaders. They must have the support of their host organisation UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process. For this funding opportunity, joint applications on a job-share basis are permitted.

If your application is a proposed job share, please state this where relevant in your application and set out your proposed arrangements in the Applicant capability to deliver and Career development sections. Both applicants for any joint applications will be able to list themselves as the ‘fellow’.

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 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. 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. FLF awards allow fellows protected time to concentrate fully on their research or innovation, training and development and establishing an independent position by the end of the award.

In most cases a fellow is expected to spend 100% of their working time on their fellowship (which includes all activities associated with the fellowship). If you are hosted by an academic organisation, you 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.

Clinically active applicants (including veterinarians) can work up to 20% of their time on average, over the lifetime of the grant, on their clinical commitments. Exceptions are made for applicants undertaking patient-oriented research as part of their fellowship, who may undertake up to 40% of their time on these duties. This is not in addition to the six hours per week.

If you hold substantial ongoing research commitments as a result of participation in other grants, you must relinquish these in order to hold a UKRI FLF award. Awardees will have the flexibility to develop a breadth of experience and partnerships, and secure further research or innovation funding later in the award.

However, they should ensure that these other activities do not compromise their focus or achievement of the aims of the fellowship. There is no limit to the amount of funding you can request under this scheme. 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 FLF scheme has funded fellowships from £300,000 to over £2 million, and there is no preference for lower or higher cost proposals as long as the requested value is fully justified. If the total cost of your application is expected to exceed £1. 4 million, please email the FLF team to inform us of the expected cost of your proposal.

This soft cap has been put in place to help monitor application costs across the scheme. Applicants can exceed this cap as long as all costs are fully justified and are considered good value for money by the panel. Please email the team at fellows@ukri.

org using the subject header ‘application over 1. 4 million’, you will receive an automated response acknowledging your email. The fellowship will provide salary support.

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 support should commit to the salary of the fellow.

For academic applicants, the host 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). Number of applications from academic host organisations The FLF scheme is highly competitive.

Increasing numbers of applications in previous rounds led to the extension of timelines and an increased peer review burden on our research and innovation community. To administrate this funding opportunity in a timely manner, the number of applications which can be submitted by each academic host organisation is capped.

Read the section on application caps in the host organisation guidance available in the ‘Additional information’ section for more information. The Medical Research Council (MRC) is providing additional funding to the FLF scheme, to support Clinical FLFs.

The expanded MRC funding will come with the opportunity for host organisations to nominate additional clinicians, expanding their demand management cap, allowing more clinical researchers to secure a fellowship at a critical career stage. ROs can continue to nominate Clinicians within their existing application cap and are allowed to go above their existing application caps, should those additional applications be from Clinicians.

It is the academic host organisation’s responsibility to ensure that applicants and research support staff have adequate time to work on their full submissions. Inclusive selection process Host organisations are asked to provide statements describing the inclusive process they used to select their chosen candidates.

These statements contributed to an external review undertaken by the Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) titled ‘Inclusive selection and support for the Future Leaders Fellowships scheme – Investigation of current practice and identification of good practice examples’ .

The UKRI response to CRAC report (PDF, 201KB) includes the implementation of a pilot, where academic host organisations wishing to submit applications to round 11 of the FLF scheme must complete diversity monitoring templates. Providing anonymised information on the number of prospective applicants by sex and gender, ethnicity, disability, and broad disciplinary groupings.

Hosts will also be asked to highlight any updates to their inclusive selection statements. Further details of this requirement by host organisations for round 11, and questions to consider for updates to inclusive selection statements, are contained within the host organisation guidance available in the ‘Additional information’ section. The deadline for hosts to submit this information is 16 June 2026.

Information provided will not be used in the assessment or outcome of this funding opportunity. UKRI reserve the right to reject proposals submitted by host organisations that have not reported on this process. Supporting skills and talent We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment .

International collaboration If your application includes international applicants, project partners or collaborators, visit UKRI’s trusted research and innovation for more information on effective international collaboration.

Find out about getting funding for international collaboration Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks. See further guidance and information about TR&I , including where you can find additional support.

We are running this funding opportunity on the UKRI Funding Service for academic-hosted applicants and the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) for non-academic hosted applicants. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The fellow is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI. Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page: Confirm you are the fellow. Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service.

We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you. Answer questions directly in the text boxes.

You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.

Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI. Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

When including images, you must: provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit) insert each new image on a new line use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words.

The following are not permitted, and your application may be rejected if you include: sentences or paragraphs of text excessive quantities of images A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see: how applicants use the Funding Service how research offices use the Funding Service how reviewers use the Funding Service You can find advice on completing your application in the round eleven guidance in the Additional information section. Unlike earlier rounds of the Future Leader Fellowship scheme, there is no outline proposal stage required.

You should ensure you are aware of and comply with any internal institutional deadlines that may be in place. We recommend you start your application early, liaising with your host organisation who may also be able to provide additional advice and guidance. Inclusion and accessibility We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone.

For round 10, UKRI ran a pilot programme to provide support to disabled applicants applying to the scheme. This has been paused for round 11 while we review the scheme and our future approaches. If you require any support in writing your application, please contact your host organisation who should be able to provide some reasonable adjustments.

If you require any reasonable adjustments to help support your attendance at interview, please get in touch with the team at fellows@ukri. org References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that: references are easily identifiable by the assessors references are formatted as appropriate to your research persistent identifiers are used where possible General use of hyperlinks Applications should be self-contained.

You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied. For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment . UKRI must receive your application by 16 June 2026 4:00pm UK time You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines. Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

UKRI will need to collect some personal information to manage your UKRI Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications. We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice .

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email fellows@ukri. org Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include: individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave) additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection the application is an invited resubmission For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice .

Institutional Matched Funding There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations.

Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged. This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.

UKRI will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at Future Leaders Fellowships . If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information.

Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: the challenge the project addresses potential applications and benefits List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: research and innovation associate professional enabling staff Only list one individual as the fellow, unless you are applying on a job-share basis.

UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application. Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications .

Visiting researchers and specialists The Fellowship should enable the Fellow to develop and lead their own research vision, establish independent thought leadership, and manage their own team, resources, and programme of work, therefore, we would not normally expect senior staff or established academics/innovators to be costed as staff within the fellowship.

Where senior expertise is required, this should ordinarily be provided through mentoring, supervisory arrangements, or advisory roles. Therefore, requests for visiting researchers or specialists should be by exception only, and support must be clearly and robustly justified.

Applicants must explain why the inclusion of these individuals is essential to the delivery of the fellowship, the distinct and complementary expertise they provide, and why this support cannot be delivered through mentoring, advisory, or supervisory arrangements.

The involvement of visiting researchers and specialists should normally be limited to a maximum of six months, to ensure that the leadership and project ownership remain with the Fellow. Create a single PDF document that includes your responses to all criteria. The document should not be more than five sides of A4, single spaced in paper in 11-point Arial (or equivalent sans serif font) with margins of at least 2cm.

You may include images, graphs, tables. Within the page limit it is mandatory to include a legible diagrammatic workplan, for example, PERT or Gantt chart illustrating the full duration of the project, with additional emphasis on the first four years including project-specific timelines and milestones clearly and accurately shown. The Gantt chart must be on one full page, in 11-point Arial (or equivalent sans serif font).

For the file name, use the unique UKRI Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Vision and Approach’. Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, please do not include any sensitive personal data within the attachment.

If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. You should address the following question: What are you hoping to achieve with and how will you deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response For the Vision, explain how your proposed work: is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s) has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area is timely, given current trends, context, and needs impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment In the Vision section we also expect you to: identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be For the Approach, explain how you have designed your work so that it: is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how you will manage them uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable) summarises the previous work and describes how you will build on and progress this work (if applicable) will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts Within the Approach section we also expect you to: demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed work Applicant capability to deliver Why are you the right individual to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Evidence of how you have: the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to make best use of the benefits presented by this funding opportunity to develop your career the right balance of skills and aptitude to deliver the proposed work contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community the appropriate team working or leadership skills (appropriate to career stage) You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the UKRI Funding Service. The word count for this section is 1,650 words, 1,150 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions. Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you have and how this will help to deliver the proposed work.

You can include specific achievements and choose past contributions that best evidence your ability to deliver this work. Complete this section using the following R4RI module headings. You should use each heading once, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI .

You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills you bring: contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships contributions to the wider research and innovation community contributions to broader research or innovation, users and audiences, and towards wider societal benefit Provide any further details relevant to your application.

This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them). You should complete this section as a narrative.

Do not format it like a CV. The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles. Why is this fellowship the right way to develop your career and how will you use it to benefit others?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Ensure that you have identified: career development goals appropriate to the fellowship funding opportunity how the fellowship will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for your personal development and to achieve your stated career development goals (as appropriate to your career stage and field) how you will instigate positive change in the wider research and innovation community, for example through Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), advocacy or advisory roles, stakeholder engagement, participation in peer review, influencing policy, public engagement, or outreach Within the Career Development section we also expect you to describe: how you will ensure continued research and professional development in those you will be managing on the project, to have a positive research and innovation experience, with opportunities or support to progress their own careers (useful links Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and Technician Commitment ) how the proposed work will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for you to acquire additional skills, like research, leadership, communication and management what mentoring arrangements are proposed and how they are appropriate to you Host organisation support How will the host organisation support your fellowship?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Provide a support statement including: evidence detailing how the host will support you, as appropriate for your career development and the vision and approach of the fellowship who you have engaged with in your host organisation (name and role) how your research environment will contribute to the success of the work, in terms of suitability of the host organisation and strategic relevance to the project how the host organisation will ensure your time commitment to the fellowship is protected what development and training opportunities will be provided and how they form a cohesive career development package tailored to your aims and aspirations what financial or practical support, such as access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment, is being provided and how this strengthens your application Within the Host organisation support section, we also expect you to describe: details of the fellowship work to be conducted at another UK or overseas host organisation and how they will support you (if applicable) The Host organisation support statement should be written from the perspective of a senior representative from your organisation such as pro-vice chancellor.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI) What are the ethical and RRI considerations, implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated: the relevant ethical and RRI considerations how you will manage these considerations You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation. Resources and cost justification What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular: significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences) any equipment that will cost more than £25,000 any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities all facilities and infrastructure costs all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’ You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project.

For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders . Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources.