Section One: Postdoctoral Fellowships – Annual or rolling programmes
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships
| Discipline | Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Timetable | Annual Competition. Deadline for submission of outline proposals: Early October (internal selection in August) Results of outline stage expected: January (invitation to submit full application) Research beginning on or after: 1 September. Please check the website for the yearly deadlines. Please note that internal selection according to the University’s restricted calls policy in operation to manage demand for this call. Please contact the faculty or Department you are applying through for more information. |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Costing | Salary, directly allocated and indirect costs at full economic costing |
| Eligibility | Applicants have to be within three years of the award of their doctorate. Up to 45 fellowships awarded. British citizens and any national from the EEA are eligible, regardless of where their doctorate was obtained. Anyone of any nationality who has a doctorate from a UK university is eligible |
| Purpose | This scheme is designed to enable outstanding early career researchers to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in a university environment, which will develop their CV and improve their prospects of obtaining permanent lecturing posts by the end of the Fellowship. Applicants are expected to apply within three years from their successful viva voce examination. |
| Website | British Academy |
Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships
| Timetable | Annual Competition for all disciplines Deadline is in February/March of each year. Application materials can be accessed from the Trust’s website from January. The Trust will report results to applicants by the end of May. (Note: for Cambridge-based applications, there is a pre-selection competition run by the Isaac Newton Trust, which will provide the matching funding for successful applicants. You must apply to the Newton Trust before submitting your application to the Leverhulme Trust, and you need to secure the support of a host department before approaching the Newton Trust. The Newton Trust deadline for applications is in January and potential 10 applicants are strongly advised to check details with the Newton Trust directly.) |
| Duration | Three years (may be held part-time) |
| Costing | The Trust will contribute 50% of each fellow's total salary costs up to a maximum of £26,000 per annum, with the balance to be paid by the host institution. Given the prestige of the awards each fellow may request annual research expenses of up to £6,000 to further his or her research activities. |
| Eligibility | Applications are invited from those with a doctorate who had their doctoral viva not more than 4 years before the application closing date. Career breaks will be taken into account. They may not currently hold, or have already held, a full-time established (i.e. permanent) academic position in a UK university or comparable institution in the UK or a fellowship of equivalent duration for independent research. This excludes current holders of British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowships or Junior Research Fellowships of three years duration. There are approximately 145 fellowships available in 2024 (that includes the Sciences). |
| Purpose | Early Career Fellowships aim to provide career development opportunities for those who are at a relatively early stage of their academic careers but with a proven record of research. It is anticipated that a Fellowship will lead to a more permanent academic position. Fellowships can be held at universities or at other institutions of higher education in the UK. |
| Note | The Leverhulme Trust strongly encourages applicants for its Early Career Fellowship scheme to change institution away from the university where they received their PhD or otherwise to provide a very robust justification for why this would not be beneficial. |
| Website | Leverhulme Trust |
Leverhulme Trust Study Abroad Studentship
| Timetable | Annual competition |
| Deadline | January of each year |
| Purpose | The scheme allows time for training, network building, etc. and is aimed at postdocs but can even be used by pre-doctoral students. The scheme covers travel expenses, a salary of £23k per annum and an additional £7k for dependents. The scheme is currently highly undersubscribed. |
| Website | Leverhulme Trust |
European Commission: Horizon Europe Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships
| Discipline | All disciplines |
| Costing | Full Economic Costing |
| Timetable | The calls for Individual Fellowships tend to be launched in April of each year with a September deadline for submissions. |
| Purpose | Individual Fellowships support the mobility of researchers within and beyond Europe - as well as helping to attract the best foreign researchers to work in the EU. The grant usually covers two years' salary, a mobility allowance, research costs and overheads for the host institution. Individual researchers submit proposals for funding in liaison with their planned host organisation. Proposals are judged on their research quality, the researcher's future career prospects, and the support offered by the host organisation. Fellows can also spend part of the fellowship elsewhere in Europe if this would boost impact, and those restarting their career in Europe benefit from special eligibility conditions. European and Global Fellowships available. Strict mobility criteria apply. |
| Website | Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action |