The UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships competition supports “early-career” innovators by providing up to seven years of funding and a range of tailored resources.
Round 10 closes on 5 November and is open to future research and innovation leaders at businesses, research institutions and not-for-profit organisations.
Below are the key things you need to know about this grant competition, including who’s eligible, how much funding you can apply for, and how to apply.
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In just 30 minutes, our grants experts will tell you:
- If you’re eligible
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- Other forms of funding are open to you, including R&D Tax Credits and Innovation Loans
Am I Eligible for a Future Leaders Fellowship?
To answer this question, we need to look at you as an applicant, your project, and the organisation you work for.
Fellow Applicants
First and foremost, you need to show you have the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver your proposed project.
You don’t need a PhD. But if you don’t have a doctorate, you’ll need to show you have the equivalent level of experience or have conducted a comparable amount of research.
You can apply from outside the UK, so long as you have support from an eligible UK-registered organisation.
Your Project
Your project must:
- Have a grant request of £100,000 to £3 million
- Last for at least four years
- Be based at or have the support of an eligible non-academic organisation (see below)
- Deliver R&D beyond the standard activities of your host organisation
- Maximise the impact and influence of your proposed work
- Include a clear programme for developing your skills, such as through mentoring and training
Your project can focus on any field of research and innovation, including less technical fields such as the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
Your Organisation
To apply for a Future Leaders Fellowship, your host organisation must be UK-registered and one of the following:
- Agri-Tech Centre
- Business
- Catapult
- Charity
- Eligible research organisation
- Public organisation
How Much Funding Can I Apply For?
This depends on the nature of your project. If your organisation is…
- Economic or commercial (e.g. a company)
- Not economic or commercial in nature, but will be undertaking commercial activity for the purposes of this project
…then you can apply for a grant covering between 25% and 70% of your project costs, depending on what type of project you’re undertaking and how large your organisation is. See the table below.
| Project Type | Micro/Small | Medium-Sized | Large |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feasibility and Industrial Research | 70% | 60% | 50% |
| Experimental Development | 45% | 35% | 25% |
The balance between your grant and overall project costs must be funded by your organisation. This is called ‘match funding’.
To explore your match funding options, check out our comprehensive guide to funding for early-stage UK businesses.
If your organisation and project work are non-commercial in nature, you can apply for:
- 100% of your project costs – if you are an RTO, charity, not-for-profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation
- 80% of your full economic costs if you are a Je-S registered institution, such as a university
How Do I Apply?
Applications for the UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships competition are made to the Innovation Funding Service (IFS). They’re reviewed by three independent assessors.
The application has three sections.
1. Project details – This section is not scored but provides valuable information for your assessors. It covers six areas, including project summary, research category, and scope.
2. Application questions – This section, the largest in the application, contains 20 questions, the first nine of which are not scored. It covers various aspects of your project and career, including your ability to deliver the project, support from your host organisation, and the value the grant will add to your innovation.
3. Finances – This is where you detail the costs involved in your project.
Maximise Your Chances with GrantTree
Combining up to £3 million in grant funding with substantial non-financial support, UKRI’s Fellowships scheme is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring innovation leaders to accelerate their careers and complete groundbreaking projects.
Looking to apply? GrantTree’s experts can maximise your chances of success, using our decades of grant-winning experience to prove to your assessors that you deserve funding.
To get expert help with your application, just get in touch.
