International Placement Scheme 2026

International Placement Scheme 2026 is sponsored by UK Research and Innovation, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Funding for placements at international cultural institutions for PhD students and early career researchers.

International Placement Scheme 2026 – UKRI Funding opportunity: International Placement Scheme 2026 Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) , Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Award range: £6,000 - £16,200 7 January 2026 9:00am UK time 19 March 2026 4:00pm UK time Last updated: 23 February 2026 - see all updates Apply for a funded placement at an international institution.

Placements are available at the following institutions: the US: Harry Ransom Center, Huntington Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Yale Centre for British Art Japan: National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU) China: Shanghai Theatre Academy You will receive £1,000 for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for travel to Japan and China) and £2,500 for each month of the placement.

You can apply for two to six months of funding. Please refer to the ‘Additional Information’ for more information on the aims of the scheme and an overview of each host. This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility.

Check if your organisation is eligible . This funding opportunity is open to: PhD students currently funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) early career researchers (ECRs) in any arts or humanities subject PhD students funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) may apply for a placement at the Library of Congress.

AHRC applicants must apply to undertake primary research in an AHRC subject area for all hosts. ESRC-funded PhD students are only eligible to apply to Library of Congress and must be applying to undertake primary research in an ESRC subject area. AHRC applicants can apply for a placement at more than one institution in a single round, noting that separate applications need to be submitted.

However, dates and applications must: be for separate and distinct research work packages take place in one continuous block of time If applying for a placement at more than one institution, you should also check that there are no visa restrictions on returning to the host country within the same year.

You can only hold a placement at the same institution once in each stage of your career, for example once as a student and once as an early career researcher (ECR). Deferred entry applications are not permitted. Equally, if your application is successful but you cannot undertake your placement, you must reapply the following year.

Before applying, PhD students must secure approval of their UK research organisation and their supervisor. Early career researchers and doctoral-level research assistants must secure approval from their head of department. This approval confirms that you can attend the placement in full if your application is successful.

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation . For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual . Individual eligibility for PhD students AHRC-funded doctoral students can apply to any host.

ESRC-funded doctoral students can only apply to Library of Congress. Placements must be undertaken during the funded period of your doctoral award. PhD students must include their doctoral training grant reference in the ‘About you’ section of the application form.

Because these placements are intended to enrich and form part of the period of doctoral study, no additional time will be added to the doctoral award end date. Individual eligibility for ECRs You must be employed and supported by an eligible UK research organisation for at least the duration of your grant under the International Placement Scheme (IPS).

However, it is not a requirement that a contract be in place at the point of application submission. It is also not a requirement to have a permanent employment contract to apply for funding.

Applicants identifying as ECRs are expected to either: hold a doctorate by the start date of the fellowship demonstrate equivalent research or innovation experience, training, or both Anyone who considers their role to be that of an ECR may self‑identify as one. There are no eligibility rules based on how many years have passed since the award of your PhD.

To support applicants in determining whether they align with the aims of the scheme, individuals are encouraged, but not required, to meet at least one of the criteria below.

These are intended to help you reflect on your career stage and research trajectory: you have not previously been a project lead or co‑lead on a funded academic research project funded by AHRC, UKRI or any other funder you have not previously led or co‑led a substantial research programme in a commercial or non‑academic setting you have recently returned from a career break (for example, parental leave, caring responsibilities, sickness, or an unpaid sabbatical) you have recently experienced a significant career transition, such as moving from industry to academia, or returning to a permanent academic role after holding substantial administrative responsibilities These criteria are desirable and may strengthen an application, but they are not mandatory.

Doctoral level research assistants are eligible. Therefore, you must: be of postdoctoral standing, having either a PhD qualification or equivalent research experience have a contract with a UK research organisation at the time of application that extends beyond the end date of the placement You will be asked to provide evidence of how you meet these criteria. Failure to do so could result in your application being rejected.

Where previous AHRC funding has been held, ECRs must include their previous grant reference in the application form. 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 UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

Applicants with disabilities or caring responsibilities may request an appropriate amount of additional funding where this is essential to taking up the placement and where it cannot be provided by routes such as the UKRI disabled students allowance . Applicants requiring this additional support should contact AHRC for further guidance and to discuss how to reflect this request within the application form.

We are committed to promoting the values of equality of opportunity, diversity, and inclusivity. A dynamic, diverse and inclusive research and innovation system must be an integral part of UK society, giving everyone the opportunity to participate and to benefit.

Therefore, we particularly encourage applications from persons who identify as: people with health conditions or impairments people with caring responsibilities persons of diverse gender identities and expressions persons identifying with other groups who are currently underrepresented Applicants who identify with any of the protected characteristics listed above and who would welcome additional support, or who wish to discuss any perceived risks or concerns, are encouraged to contact AHRC and their prospective host institutions for further guidance and support.

Applications to UKRI through the new Funding Service can only be made if you have completed our EDI survey, which you are prompted to do when you open an account. However, diversity information will never be used in the assessment process nor to make funding decisions.

Host-specific eligibility Engagement with the host and research institutions should be made as early as possible during the application stage and before the application deadline. For NIHU, The Huntington Library and the Smithsonian Institution, you must contact the institutions to let them know what collections you want to access before applying. For the other hosts, it is optional but highly recommended.

If you have any concerns such as access to collections, research topics, visa support or wellbeing, you may contact the hosts. Contact details can be found in the ‘Contact’ section of this page. For NIHU, applicants must contact the institutions for prior consultation with a potential host for placement with sufficient time (at least two weeks) before applying.

Applicants to NIHU, looking to work with the following collections are required to speak and understand Japanese at an advanced level: National Institute of Japanese Literature (NIJL) National Museum of Japanese History (NMJH) International Research Center for Japanese Studies (IRCJS): eligibility is determined by the specific requirements of the chosen research field Applicants to other NIHU institutes are advised that basic conversational Japanese is desirable, though not compulsory.

For The Huntington Library, the library has a residency requirement for placement participant to spend 20 working days per month in the library. A ‘working day’ is defined as any day the library is open for use. Please also note that, in spring 2026, the library will undergo major multi-year renovations.

While the library will be open as normal, access to specific collections might be restricted. Please find details of who to contact in the ‘Contact Details’ section of this page. Applicants should clearly state which materials and collections they will use for their project.

They must explain why they need to come to The Huntington and why they require the requested length of time. This requirement is particularly important due to the planned closure of certain collections during the forthcoming renovations, and applications that do not identify specific Huntington collections are unlikely to be successful.

Applicants to the Smithsonian Institution must select, and approach a contact, to enquire about a specific collection at the institution in advance of submitting their application. This contact will act as an adviser should the respective application be successful. Please use the Smithsonian opportunities for research and study guide in order to contact an appropriate Smithsonian academic or staff member.

If your application to the Smithsonian Institution is successful, a Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA) account must be created following your offer acceptance. AHRC will contact you by email with instructions on how to set up your SOLAA account at the appropriate stage.

We’re looking to fund eligible PhD students, doctoral level research assistants and early career researchers (ECRs) to complete a research placement at an international cultural institution for two to six months.

The International Placement Scheme (IPS) provides ECRs, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded doctoral students and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded doctoral students with inclusive and dedicated access to the internationally renowned collections, programmes and expertise held at IPS host institutions.

The scheme aims to enhance the depth, range, diversity, and quality of research activities conducted by scholars, including research exploring under-represented and under-researched cultures and histories. IPS provides unique opportunities for networking with other international scholars based at these world-renowned institutions and can have a transformational impact on personal development and career progression.

The IPS host institutions for this round are: National Institutes for the Humanities, Japan Shanghai Theatre Academy, China Yale Centre for British Art Your placement must be based on your area of current research (including your doctoral research if you are a PhD student). The proposed research activities and outputs from your placement should complement, strengthen, or build on your current area of research.

You will need to propose a distinct package of research in your application and explain how this project relates to both your current research and the collections and expertise of your prospective host institution. Full details of the documentation required can be found in ‘How to apply’, and the assessment criteria for applications to this scheme are available under ‘How we will assess your application’.

Please refer to the Available Placements supporting document in the Additional Information section for information regarding the number of placements expected to be awarded by AHRC at each host, as well as the eligible period for undertaking a placement.

With regards to costs and the application process, please note: all IPS placements will be between two to six months, except for the Harry Ransom Centre and Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA).

The total awarded will be a £1,000 one-off stipend for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for applicants to NIHU and STA) and a living stipend of £2,500 for each month of the placement limited additional support may be agreed by AHRC on a case-by-case basis for applicants with disabilities, to support inclusive and accessible participation the stipends will be paid directly to the submitting UK research organisation (RO) at 100% full economic cost.

It is a condition of the award that the RO pays funds to awardees in full, in advance of the placement. This will allow flights and accommodation to be booked by the awardee in advance of their placement. The RO will then recoup the funds when these are paid to them by AHRC IPS awardees will continue to receive any stipend or salary they receive as part of any current AHRC or ESRC award funding.

PhD students will not be allowed additional time to be added to the AHRC or ESRC award end date or submission date to account for time spent on their placement you should discuss your work plan with your supervisor (if you are a PhD student) or head of department (if you are an ECR or research assistant). You should also discuss it with the IPS host institution.

This ensures your proposed research will appropriately contribute to your current research or any AHRC parent project, can be completed within a realistic timescale and is relevant to the IPS host institution you are applying to there is no cap on the number of applications that can be submitted by a UK RO 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 applicants can find additional support.

Preparing your application You must identify and research the institutions’ collections, fully familiarising yourself with them and how they are relevant to your own research. Please visit the institutions’ individual websites as a starting point to investigate the collections and inform your choice.

The institutions are: Harry Ransom Center, Texas, US The Huntington Library, California, US The Library of Congress, Washington DC, US National Institutes for the Humanities, Japan Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, US Shanghai Theatre Academy , China Yale Centre for British Art Once this initial step is completed, you can proceed to directly contact the relevant International Placement Scheme (IPS)-host institution to discuss your potential application and for information about the collections.

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service.

Only the lead UK research organisation (RO) can submit an application to UKRI. If a student’s PhD is funded through a consortium of UK ROs, the application should be submitted by the student’s home RO, rather than the consortia lead RO. PhD students, doctoral level research assistants and early career researchers (ECRs) are eligible to apply as a project lead for this funding opportunity.

UKRI expects that the RO will ensure that students do not apply for any other opportunities as a project lead unless it is specified that they are eligible to do so. Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page: Confirm you are the project lead. 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 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 . The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) must receive your application by 19 March 2026 at 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 this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your 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 .

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with host institutions so that they can participate in the assessment process. If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email international@ahrc. 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 AHRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at What AHRC has funded .

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . In plain English, provide a summary of your proposed placement that can be sent to your intended host organisation to determine if they think you are a good fit. 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 Your summary must include: the name of the International Placement Scheme (IPS) host you aspire to study at (remember, if you are an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) applicant you can only apply for the Library of Congress) List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: PhD students, doctoral level research assistants and ECRs are eligible to apply under the PL role for this funding opportunity.

Only list one individual as project lead. Discipline classification: primary Please provide the primary research area of your proposal. What the assessors are looking for in your response In order for your proposal to be eligible for consideration by AHRC, the choice of your primary discipline must come from one of the AHRC research areas.

Please refer to the AHRC funding guide for specific details on the different levels of disciplines. This information will be used for the purposes of processing your proposal and in the selection of appropriate assessors.

The research disciplines are: Histories, cultures and heritage cultural and museum studies information and communication technologies library and information studies political science and international studies theology, divinity and religion Creative and performing arts drama and theatre studies If you are applying to the Library of Congress as an ESRC-funded PhD, you must select one of the ESRC research areas as your primary discipline.

The ESRC research areas are: management and business studies political science and international studies science and technology studies tools, technologies and methods Discipline classification: secondary Please describe using keywords, the research area of your proposal and, where relevant, the approach, time period or geographical area. Eligibility to apply for opportunity Provide details about your eligibility status.

If you are a PhD student, please provide the following information: the grant reference number for your current AHRC award (beginning ’UKRI/AH’) or ESRC award (beginning ’UKRI/ES’). If that award is part of an institutional block grant or consortia grant, for example, Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP), Collaborative Doctoral Award (CDA) or Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP), we also require that grant reference number.

If you are unsure of your grant reference number, you must contact your research organisation confirmation that if the application is successful no additional time will be added to the doctoral award end date If you are an ECR, please provide information detailing how you meet the eligibility criteria by confirming you either: hold a doctorate by the start date of the placement can demonstrate equivalent research or innovation experience, training or both If you are a doctoral level research assistant, please provide information detailing how you meet the eligibility criteria by confirming, you: are of postdoctoral standing, having either a PhD qualification or equivalent research experience have a contract with a UK RO at the time of application that extends beyond the end date of the placement Also please explain how you meet any additional host-specific eligibility as described in the ‘Who can apply’ section.

Why is the travel needed?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain why the proposed travel is necessary and where alternative approaches are not appropriate, including reference to: added value to existing or future research and innovation promotion of collaboration acquisition and development of skills benefit to the countries, organisations and regions involved where appropriate why you are the best person to carry out this visit why the place you are travelling to is the best place to go to, in terms of people and resources (including access to particular collections) a breakdown of how the time spent there would be used Within this section we expect you to provide: a summary of the research you propose to conduct during your placement, indicating how it relates to your current research explanation of how your research objectives, methodologies, context or both could offer a unique contribution to your host community You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. 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 (including language proficiency if relevant) to deliver the proposed work Within this section we expect you to include: a brief summary of your current research to date (including any AHRC or ESRC-funded grants) a timeline for the completion of any current research projects, showing the stage you are at now and the stage at which the placement would take place (you may include a table if it helps) You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Your supervisor’s or head of department support Provide a statement of support from your supervisor if applying as a PhD student or Head of Department, if an ECR or doctoral level research assistant. What the assessors are looking for in your response Reviewers will be looking for a strong statement of support.

The statement should include: why the proposed institution is appropriate for you to conduct your research details of the supervisory arrangements that will be in place while you are undertaking your research during this placement assurance that the time spent on the International Placement Scheme (IPS) will not result in extra time being required to complete the current research funded by AHRC or ESRC You must also include the following details: the person’s name and position an office address or web link Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.

How we will assess your application We will assess your application using the following process. All applications will be checked for eligibility after the funding opportunity closes. Eligible applications will be shared with the respective placement institutions and will be reviewed by relevant experts at the institutions.

Scores and comments from the host reviews will then be moderated by Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Applications which do not meet the eligibility requirements of this funding opportunity will be rejected prior to the reviewing stage. We will notify the submitter for any applications rejected at this stage.

Funding decisions will be communicated to the persons who were selected as ‘grant holders’ on the application form. Where the applicant is a student, this email should be forwarded to them without delay. The email will provide successful applicants with further information about their placement and will request confirmation of the start and end dates of each placement.

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity. Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making . Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in expert review Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment.

Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard. For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI . The assessment areas we will use are: eligibility to apply for opportunity supervisor’s or head of department’s support Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Get help with your application If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page The helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue.

Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility, content or remit of a funding opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

For help and advice on costings and writing your application, please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process. For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact enquiries@ahrc. ukri.

org Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk. Email: support@funding-service. ukri.

org Our phone lines are open: Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm To help us process queries more efficiently, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time. For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the