UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships, 2020

Future Leaders Fellowships is a £900 million fund that is helping to establish the careers of world-class research and innovation leaders across UK business and academia.

This cross-UK Research and Innovation scheme supports early career researchers and innovators with outstanding potential in universities, UK registered businesses, and other research and user environments including research councils' institutes and laboratories.

The support will enable each fellow to tackle ambitious and challenging research and innovation and develop their own careers.

Fellows will benefit from:

• A scheme that is committed to supporting excellent researchers and innovators regardless of their background.  Fellowships can be held on a part-time basis for personal commitments and/or as part of a job share.
• Networking across their cohort of some of the UK’s most talented researchers and innovators from different disciplines and sectors, putting them at the forefront of modern, interdisciplinary research.
• A career boost, including time and investment for training and professional development, providing a route to an open-ended contract for academically hosted fellows (in line with organisational policies and practices).

Academic hosts will benefit from:

• Support for early career researchers and innovators on their route to independence, providing an opportunity for them to establish new research teams within their institution.
• Funding available for up to seven years, on a 4(+3) basis, allowing long term focus on a particular research or innovation problem.  
• The opportunity to attract and retain the most talented international researchers to their institution.

Business hosts will benefit from:

• Funding of up to £1.2 million over a four-year period, but with considerable flexibility available.
• The ability to attract an individual, or develop an existing employee, who will help create innovative solutions for their business. This could include bringing the most talented international innovators to work in their business in the UK.
• A new Reduced Hours Fellowship, in which fellows are able to spend up to 40 percent of their time focused on other activities within the business in order to enhance their career.
• The option to collaborate with other organisations (business, academic,  public, and third sector)

Organisations can also be involved with Future Leaders Fellowships through collaborations and partnerships.

A number of changes to the scheme have been implemented for round 4 and we would encourage all applicants to read the revised guidance for applicants.

Scheme flexibility includes:

• The fellowship may be made up of a single programme of work, or through multiple consecutive or concurrent interlinked projects led by the fellow (a ‘Portfolio Fellowship’). Where multiple shorter projects are spread over the 4 or 4(+3) years, applicants should ensure the proposed research/innovation is of sufficient scale and ambition to maximise the potential and career prospects of the fellow.
• Flexibility where the direction of the fellow’s project changes part way through the grant, or the fellow is no longer able to continue the grant.
• For business hosted fellows only, recognising state aid restrictions, business hosted fellows may spend up to 40 percent of their time on unfunded activities which are essential to their career, but are not directly relevant to the fellowship (a ‘Reduced Hours Fellowship’).
• While we expect that the level of capability being aimed for will usually need sustained development over four years we recognise that a change in business circumstances may mean an award is relinquished early.

For more details, or to apply, visit the call webpage.