Externally Awarded Fellowship Opportunities

BA International Fellowships are for non-UK researchers who are at an early stage of their research career and wish to conduct research in the UK. The scheme provides funding for 2 years, and applicants will need to identify a UK sponsor (established independent researcher) based at Loughborough University to support them with application development and during the award duration.

To be eligible to apply you must:

• have a PhD, or will have a PhD by the time the funding starts
• have no more than 7 years of active full time postdoctoral experience at the time of application (discounting career breaks, but including teaching experience and/or time spent in industry)
• be working outside the UK
• not hold UK citizenship
• be competent in oral and written English
• have a clearly defined and mutually-beneficial research proposal agreed with a UK host scientist
• be research active within any discipline within the humanities or the social sciences.

Key details of the fund

Funding duration: 2 years

Funding value:

• Researcher salary 1 FTE; paid at 80% Full Economic Cost
• Up to £12,000 for research expenses
• Up to £8,000 for relocation (one –off)

Key dates and more information

This is an annual scheme with calls typically opening in January and closing in March. More information can be found on the British Academy website.

The Royal Society Newton International Fellowships are for non-UK researchers who are at an early stage of their research career and wish to conduct research in the UK. The scheme provides funding for 2 years, and applicants will need to identify a UK sponsor (established independent researcher) based at Loughborough University to support them with application development and during the award duration.

To be eligible to apply you must:

• have a PhD, or will have a PhD by the time the funding starts
• have no more than seven years of active full time postdoctoral experience at the time of application (discounting career breaks, but including teaching experience and/or time spent in industry on research)
• be working outside the UK
• not hold UK citizenship
• be competent in oral and written English
• be research active within any discipline within sciences, engineering or maths.

Key details of the fund

Funding duration: 24 months

Funding value: up to £280,000

Key dates and more information

This is an annual call with calls typically opening in January and closing in March. More information can be found on the Royal Society website.

For UK institutions to invite an eminent senior professor from overseas, to bring genuinely novel expertise and enhance the skills and knowledge of academic staff and students in an underrepresented area in the UK. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborations and visits with a variety of activities beyond research.

The over-riding criteria for selection are:

• the academic standing and achievements of the visitors in terms of their research and/or teaching
• their potential for making a substantial contribution to skills in the host institution
• the specific and systematic nature of the proposed programme while in the UK

In special circumstances, the Trust Board is prepared to consider candidates who do not hold a university post.

Applications will be considered in all subject areas except:

• studies of disease, illness and disabilities in humans and animals
• research that is intended to inform clinical practice or the development of medical applications

Please note that: Collaborative research alone will not be a sufficient justification for a grant. The emphasis should be on the diffusion of skills and expertise. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborative ventures. Where a visit builds on an existing collaboration, the host should explain what the visit(s) will achieve over and above past outcomes.

Key details of the fund

Funding duration: Between 3 and 12 months (tenures over 6 months can be spread over 2 or more visits)

Funding value: Up to £150,000

Key dates and more information

This is biannual fellowship with funding deadlines in May and October. More information can be found on the Leverhulme Visting Professorships website.

The Fulbright Scholar Award offers American researcher's opportunities to research at recognised UK higher education institutions, as part of a transformative cultural experience. The US-UK Fulbright programme aims to foster cultural understanding between our two countries.

Awards last between 3 and 12 months and provides a stipend for living costs.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• be a US citizen
• not currently reside in the UK
• hold or expect to attain a PhD or equivalent professional training/experience in a relevant field before departure to the UK*

*Preference is therefore given to applicants who do not have extensive experience (six months or longer) in the UK.

All disciplines are eligible to apply.

Key details of the fund

Funding duration: Between 3 and 12 months

Funding value: Up to £36,000

Key dates and more information

This is a yearly funding opportunity, typically opening calls in February. More information can be found on the Fulbright Scholar Awards website. 

The Royal Society Wolfson Visiting Fellowships provides an opportunity for talented international research leaders to undertake a flexible 12-month period of sabbatical leave in a UK university or research institution. The aim of this fellowship is to foster international collaborative links and enrich scientific research in the host organisation as well as the wider UK science base.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• be currently based overseas and have received a firm offer from a UK university or research institution to take effect from the start of the appointment.

Please note that nominations will not be accepted for researchers wishing to move between UK institutions.

Key details of the fund

Funding duration: 12 months full time or 24 months part time

Funding value: Up to £125,000

Key dates and more information

This is an annual call commonly opening in January and closing in March. More information can be found on the funding Wolfson Visiting Fellowship.

This programme enables outstanding academics from any country overseas to be based at a UK higher education or other research institution of their choice for up to six months and develop collaborative projects with UK colleagues. The programme is open to academics at any career stage, and in any discipline within the humanities and social sciences.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• be of postdoctoral or equivalent experience at the time of application.
• be based outside of the UK at the time of application.
• demonstrate that they have been in contact with their UK host institution prior to applying.
• be research active within any discipline within the humanities or the social sciences.

Please note that candidates need not necessarily apply to develop collaboration with UK scholars active within the same discipline. These Fellowships are open also to applicants who wish to work with UK colleagues in other areas or disciplines (including scholars within the natural, medical or engineering sciences), in a cross- or inter-disciplinary way.

Key details of the fund

Funding duration: Between 3 and 6 months

Funding value: up to £33,000

Key dates and more information

This is an annual call with the next funding round expected to open in July. Further information can be found on the British Academy British Fellowships website.

The Postdoctoral Fellowships are designed to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. This fellowship targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. Applicants can spend up to 3 years at their host institution with the opportunity to gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.

Interested researchers:

• should have a PhD degree at the time of the deadline for applications. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will also be considered eligible to apply.
• must have a maximum of eight years experience in research, from the date of the award of their PhD degree, years of experience outside research and career breaks will not count towards the above maximum, nor will years of experience in research in third countries, for nationals or long-term residents of EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries who wish to reintegrate to Europe.
• should comply with mobility rules: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

All disciplines are eligible for Postdoctoral Fellowships, including research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme.

Key details of the fund

Funding duration: 2 – 3 years

Funding value: No upper limit

Key dates and more information

This is an annual call with the next funding round opening in April. Further information can be found on the  Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions website.

The British Academy has launched this Researchers at Risk Fellowships Programme, with the support also of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society and Cara. The first priority of the Programme will be as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has exposed Ukrainian-based researchers to direct threat. We wish to open the scheme more widely when possible.

The Programme aims to complement and be additional to the work already being done by UK institutions, including through their existing cooperation with Cara as members of Cara Universities Network. Researchers and innovators supported through this Programme will be able to take up these temporary fellowships at UK institutions, continue their research, enhance their skills and build long-lasting collaborative links with UK counterparts.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• hold a doctoral degree (or have equivalent experience).
• Be confirmed by Cara to be at risk.
• either still live in Ukraine or it is not more than five years since they left Ukraine.
• possess the language skills required for the successful completion of their academic project.
• possess academic qualifications and can show other evidence of an active academic career (e.g. publications).
• have not yet been supported through an equivalent scheme/opportunity.

Key details of the fund

Funding duration: 2 years

Funding value: Up to £74,000

Key dates and more information

This scheme is currently closed, with potential new calls to be confirmed depending on funding availability. Further – and updated - information can be found on the The British Academy website.

The award supports collaborations between researchers in other countries and the UK, and to hold networking events aimed at strengthening global research capacity. The Networking Grants scheme allows researchers from across disciplines and countries, working with researchers based in the UK, to hold networking events, forge new links and generate innovative transdisciplinary research ideas.  

To be eligible, applicants must:

• have completed a PhD or have experience at an equivalent level.
• have proven research experience in their field.
• hold a permanent position, or a fixed term contract for the duration of the award, at an eligible institution (please see the scheme guidance for more information).
• not be affiliated to a profit-making and/or commercial organisation.
• have a research focus within natural sciences, including physics and chemistry, mathematics, computer science, engineering, agricultural, biological and medical research, social science, humanities, the scientific aspects of archaeology, geography and experimental psychology and clinical or patient-oriented research.

Applications will not be considered if there is more than one UK co-applicant.

Key details of the fund

Funding duration: 12 months

Funding value: Up to £25,000

Key dates and more information

This is an annual call with the next funding round expected to open in Autumn. Further information can be found on the The Academy of Medical Sciences website.

These Short-Term Research Fellowships support early career scientists and clinicians to carry out projects lasting between 1–3 months at research institutions outside of their home country. The programme enables fellows to access and learn research techniques that are not available at the fellows’ home institution, supporting the exchange of knowledge and best practices across institutes.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• be actively engaged or must have experience in the respiratory field.
• be postgraduates holding a university degree in any field related to respiratory medicine (MD,MSc, PhD, MD-PhD). Postgraduate scientists such as immunologists, biologists, geneticists, pharmacologists, biophysicists, chemists, etc. involved in respiratory science, are entitled to apply for the STRF.
• be ERS members when applying for a STRF.
• must not be at their host institution more than 6 months at the time of the deadline.
• be based in a scientifically developing country (source World Bank) and going to Europe, or should be based in a country in Europe with a scientific gap in the respiratory field going to another country in Europe.
• must explain the respiratory gaps and needs in the home country/institution and why it is essential to go to Europe. Data as well as other key documents (e.g. policy papers, etc) should support the gap statement.

All nationalities, European and non-European based candidates are allowed to submit a project proposal.

Key details of the fund

Funding duration: Between 1 – 3 months

Funding value: A living stipend, child allowance and a travel grant

Key dates and more information

This is an annual call with an expected the next funding round expected to open in August. Further information can be found on the European Respiratory Society website.