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UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowships

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Lead the future

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) support talented people in universities, businesses, and other research and innovation environments.

The aim of the scheme is to develop the next wave of world-class research and innovation leaders in academia and business. It intends to grow the strong supply of talented individuals needed to ensure that UK research and innovation continues to be world class.

FLF also allow universities, research institutes, independent research organisations and businesses to develop their most talented early career researchers and innovators. These Fellowships support applicants from diverse career paths, including those returning from a career break or following time in other roles.

Please note that as FLF Round 10 is at pre-announcement stage, details might change. The call will open on 3rd February 2025; please check the call page regularly for updates.

Regretfully, for Round 10, the University of Essex is unable to support Future Leader Fellowship applications from external candidates or internal candidates not on permanent contracts.

University of Essex Webinar

There will be an internal webinar and Q&A session to give an overview for anyone who’s interested in the scheme. This will be held in late January/early February (date and time TBC). Please contact ukrifutureleaders@essex.ac.uk if you are interested in attending.

Aims of the Fellowship

  • 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.

Please see the FLF database of fellows for a list of current fellows.

Who can apply?

For Round 10, the University can only support Future Leader Fellowship applications from internal candidates already on permanent contracts (including those on Pathway to Permanency).

This UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) scheme will support early career researchers and innovators with outstanding potential. Individuals should use UKRI's Person Specification (Annex A)* to assess and justify their suitability for the scheme.

We will consider applications from all eligible candidates in any area of our research portfolio, and encourage submissions from candidates from underrepresented groups and/or diverse career trajectories.

The support of the host institution is a critical component of all Fellowships which will enable the fellow to transition to or establish their research/innovation independence in any area supported by UKRI.

How to apply

We will hold a sift – an open selection process – to identify up to four individuals to support in applying to the FLF call. Interested candidates must submit a sift outline application, which will be shared with the relevant department and a panel of senior academic staff to consider.

Candidates should email the following documents to ukriflf@essex.ac.uk by 5.00pm on Wednesday 12th March 2025 (full guidance is provided in the “University of Essex Sift Outline Guidance” document):

  • Four-page sift outline (see Sift Outline Guidance document for requirements)
  • Completed ‘FTE Declaration’ (see Appendix 1)
  • Completed resubmission declaration (see Appendix 2)
  • Completed ‘Equal Opportunities and Discipline Monitoring’ template* (see Appendix 3 {a and b})

Links to the “University of Essex Sift Outline Guidance” document and Appendices 1-3 can be found in the ‘Guidance and Appendices’ section, below.

*Equal Opportunities and Discipline Monitoring

UKRI require the collection of EDI data, specifically the number of prospective applicants by sex and gender, ethnicity, disability, and broad disciplinary groupings, from all candidates submitting to this opportunity, including all those submitting to the institutional sift. This will be collected anonymously in conjunction with the Finance, Planning and Data Insight Section (FPDI); therefore, it is important that all applicants’ profiles are up to date. Please see Appendix 3 for details.

Please note that your information is held within People and Culture in line with GDPR regulations, and is included as part of the anonymised statutory return to HESA. Our privacy policy, and a statement about data collection for HESA can be found here.

UKRI also require information about subject discipline diversity, which FPDI do not hold. Candidates applying to the sift will, therefore, be required to submit a short ‘Discipline Monitoring Template’ as part of their sift application.

The selection process

Selection will be made on the basis of candidates’ sift application materials. All complete applications will be considered by an internal sift panel, chaired by Chris Greer, the Pro Vice Chancellor Research, that will select which candidates will be put forward to submit a full application. The panel will evaluate applications against the scheme assessment criteria, and be guided by the quality of the proposed research project and the potential of the candidate to become a future research and innovation leader.

Candidates will be informed whether their applications will be supported by the University no later than Friday 21st March 2025. Candidates successful in obtaining support from the University will be given extensive assistance in refining their full applications to UKRI. The completed full application must be submitted to UKRI by Wednesday 18th June 2025, 16:00 UK time.

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