Request for Applications: Career Development Fellowships (United Kingdom)

Aims

• The fellowship aims to:
  • Support talented early career researchers from underrepresented backgrounds in taking the first step towards establishing their research in a UK institution
  • Provide researchers with the opportunity to undertake high-quality curiosity-led research
  • Provide the most promising researchers with the mentoring, networking opportunities, training and support required to establish a successful research career in the UK
  • Support talented researchers from underrepresented groups to pursue a career in STEM and strengthen the UK scientific workforce

Subject Covered

• Research must be within the Royal Society’s remit of natural sciences, which includes but is not limited to biological research, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics.
• The Society does not support clinical or interventional research on humans at the individual or group level, social sciences or humanities, unless otherwise stated.

Funding Information

• Applicants are permitted to apply for up to £690,000. This is a maximum value over four years (i.e. the total contribution requested from the Society may not exceed £690,000).
• An assumed level of inflation should be included for the full duration of the grant. The level of inflation will need to be justified.
• Funding can cover:
  • Research Fellow’s basic salary costs and associated on-costs as set by the host institution (80% contribution).
  • Directly allocated (including estate costs) and indirect costs (80% contribution)
  • Research expenses (Other Directly Incurred Costs), including consumables, equipment, travel, attendance/presentations at conferences, etc (100% contribution). Funding can also be used to contribute to technical assistance to support the delivery of the fellowship project.
  • Relocation and visa costs for the applicant and their dependents (partner and children). The total grant cap may be exceeded in order to cover relocation/visa costs if this is well justified in the application.
• It is expected that a minimum of £30,000 of research expenses per annum will be requested within the total award value of £690,000. Requests of research expenses below the minimum value of £30,000 in line with the specific research field can be considered and must be fully justified.
• Fellowships are expected to commence between 1 October 2025 and 1 January 2026.

What will they Provide?

• Bespoke Mentoring award holders will be offered the opportunity to be paired with mentor(s) from a network of professionals from academia and industry who will help them navigating the first year in their fellowship and share their advice and direct experience in how to set up a successful career in STEM.
• Training and development the Society currently offers a range of high-quality training and support that will be available to successful candidates, including:
  • Grant writing
  • Understanding the publishing process
  • Public engagement
  • Scientific Entrepreneurship
  • Media skills
  • Engaging with policy makers
  • Introduction to research team management
• Peer-to-peer support and Networking opportunities  the Society will facilitate peer support and networking with the wider research community. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to engage with other Research Fellows as well as Fellows of the Royal Society and will also have the opportunity to present their research work at the Royal Society Meeting of Minds conference.

Eligibility Criteria

• This pilot scheme is open to researchers who self-identify as being from a Black heritage background according to the England and Wales Census 2021, including:
  • Black African
  • Black Caribbean
  • Black Other
  • Mixed – White and Black Caribbean
  • Mixed – White and Black African
  • Other mixed background (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or Black Other)
• Applicants must:
  • Be UK nationals or have completed a part of their education in the UK through their Undergraduate, Master’s or PhD degree studies or hold have held a postdoctoral researcher position in the UK.
  • Have a PhD or will have a PhD by the time the funding starts. Applicants who have not yet completed their PhD when applying will require a letter of support from their supervisor. Applicants in the final year of their PhD studies will be eligible to apply but must have completed their PhD examination with minor corrections prior to starting the fellowship. The Society reserves the right to request a confirmation of the successful completion of the PhD examination viva at the point of offer.
  • Have less than 24 months of full-time postdoctoral experience by the closing date of the round. Career breaks and additional circumstances that may have affected delayed your research career will be taken into account when calculating this limit.
• Host Organisation Eligibility
  • Fellowships must be held in a UK Higher Education Institute (HEI), a UK Research Council supported Research Institute (RCI), a not-for-profit research institute (IRO), or a Public Sector Research Establishment (PSRE).
  • Candidates are not required to move host organisations for the proposed fellowship. When choosing the host organisation, candidates should consider the suitability of host organisation in building a research environment that would enable them to thrive and support them to achieve their career goals.

Assessment Criteria

• The ability of the individual to deliver the fellowship project and their potential to develop an independent research career. Track record commensurate with actual research experience including research career to date, contributions to publications, conferences and seminars, external recognition (e.g. awards), datasets held in repositories, software as well as any experience or commitment to public communication of science.
• The quality of the proposed research project and likelihood of achieving the goals.
• The suitability of host organisation and research environment, the proposed support for career development and the scientific suitability of the sponsor.

For more information, visit The Royal Society.